The Ties That Bind
by A Beautiful Contradiction
Summary: Some unusual things happen no one can explain. Is it just bad luck, or something more? Pairings: UlrichxYumi, JeremiexAelita, OddxKiki... COMPLETED!
1. The Elevator

Disclaimer: I don't own Code: Lyoko. If I did, some of these ideas would be put into the series, but hey, I can dream. The only thing I own in this story is my imagination and the character that will appear in later chapters. She and Odd'll flirt a bit if all goes well.  
  
"Huh? Wha-... What happened?" The teenager asked as she clumsily sat up in the elevator. She looked around the shook up car to see if the other passenger of the elevator car was okay. Unfortunately, he was not. She crawled weakly over to where he lay to see if he was conscious.  
  
"Ulrich! Ulrich! Wake up. We need to find a way out. Please wake up Ulrich." The older teen stirred and opened his eyes to look around at the black haired girl.  
  
"Yu- Yumi? What... happened? Ahh!" He winced when he tried to sit up. He grasped his left arm and squeezed out a tear of pain.  
  
"What's wrong? Is it your arm? Let me see." Yumi carefully helped him to get out of his light green button up so he was just in his sleeveless dark muscle shirt. She took the sleeves and tied them behind his head and situated the makeshift sling so that his arm would slip in easily. She also found at the other side of the elevator car one of Odd's drumsticks that he must have dropped. She took her pocket knife and cut the sleeves off her own long-sleeved black shirt, set his arm back in place with the drumstick, and tied her torn off sleeves to his arm to hold the arm and stick in place.  
  
"Okay, this is the tricky part." She told Ulrich.  
  
"You'll need to slip your arm inside the sling so we can try and figure out way out of here." He tried to lift his arm into the sling, but his whole left side fell limp in the process. He hung his head low and sighed.  
  
"I can't do it, Yumi. You'll need to help me get it in there. I'm too weak right now."  
  
'Wow. That's the first time I've heard him say that he's not strong enough. He never talks like that.' She thought silently to herself as she helped him get into the sling. It took about 5 mins., and a slow, steady hand, but Yumi was able to get his arm into the shirt sling. She slowly stood so she didn't get dizzy and helped Ulrich up to his feet.  
  
"Where did you learn to do that? That was pretty cool." He told her. She blushed slightly.  
  
"At this medical school camp my parents sent me to one summer. It came in handy this time. But right now, we need to find a way out. How about this?" Yumi looked up to the emergency exit above their heads. She unlatched the doors and pulled herself up. She looked down to Ulrich and pulled him up to the top of the elevator car.  
  
"Now what, Yumi? I don't see any doors nearby." Ulrich said, clearly fatigued and panting slightly.  
  
"We have to climb the ladder over there until we come to a door. Hopefully it'll be the door to the control room. Maybe Jeremie will be there so we can get you some help." Ulrich looked to the ladder and went cold. He knew it would be painful, but he also knew it was the only way he'd be able to get out of here. Suddenly, the elevator car began to slide down again.  
  
"What?! We didn't land at the bottom? Ulrich, we need to move fast. There's not much time left until we go down with this thing again." Yumi said as she helped Ulrich to the ladder. It hurt slightly, but he was able to climb the first few steps. He looked down to Yumi, who was making sure he got up okay. He noticed that she hadn't even tried to grab one of the ladder's bars; she was making sure he got up first. The elevator, in the meantime, was slipping father and faster away by the second. Yumi felt the elevator falling from under her, but she wanted to wait until Ulrich was safely up before she started so she didn't rush him and hurt him more.  
  
"Yumi! Hurry up! Get up here before you fall!" Ulrich hooked his good arm around the ladder bar and stuck his leg out for her to grab. The elevator blew tons of smoke and dust in Ulrich's eyes just as it plummeted to the ground so he couldn't see and had to look away. He never felt Yumi grab his leg. He felt hot tears start to fall down his face as he held onto the bar. When the dust cleared and his tears washed away all the dirt in his eyes, he looked down. There, holding onto the ladder about 15 feet below him with only one arm hooked around the bar, was Yumi. She looked up to him and gave him one of those looks that said she was okay considering what they'd just been through.  
  
"You okay?" She asked him even weaker than before when she finally gained her footing.  
  
"Yeah. How about you?" She nodded at him.  
  
"I think so." She said as she tried to get up to him. She raised her right arm up, and let out a wail of pain.  
  
"What's wrong Yumi?" Ulrich asked her, worry spread all over his face.  
  
"It's... my... shoulder. I think... that it's dislocated. I have to climb up with one arm, but it's not that hard. Just don't pass out on me or anything. I won't be able to catch you, so if you get tired, tell me and we can take a breather."  
  
"Okay. Let's get started." He said, and they both started to make their way up the long ladder. About 10 mins. into the climb, they heard a loud snap, and stopped to hear where it came from.  
  
"What is that? It sounds like it came from the top of the shaft." Ulrich told Yumi, who was looking past him. She saw what it was. It was a part of the assembly room's machinery; a claw with sharp extensions used for picking up parts for repair, and it was going for Ulrich's head.  
  
"Ulrich, look out! Hug the ladder!" He did right as the claw passed him, but not before tearing his shirt off of him. Yumi, on the other hand, was not so lucky. The arm of the claw hit her side and the claws slid agonizingly slow over her good shoulder and down her back, as well as ripped the lower part of her pants to shreds. As the claw slid down her back, Ulrich could hear each and every painful wail that came from Yumi. He wished then that he could've not moved and taken the hit for her. When the screams subsided, Ulrich looked down to a beaten and torn Yumi. She was holding on tightly to the bar, crying silently with her eyes tightly shut, and Ulrich cringed when he saw her back. The back of her shirt was shredded and blood was flowing freely from several severe looking cuts.  
  
"Yumi, talk to me. You okay? Can you keep going?" He asked her quickly. She looked up with him with eyes that said no.  
  
"I... I think so. I have to, and besides, we're almost there. I saw the platform for the control room just a bit farther up ahead. I think I can make it, but let's hurry before I pass out from the loss of blood." She said weakly to him. Ulrich looked up and saw the platform too, and started making his way back up again with Yumi close behind him. When he made it there, he climbed up on his stomach, then turned to pull an extremely weak Yumi up onto the platform. Ulrich pushed the buttons to open the doors, placed Yumi's arm around his shoulders, placed his good arm carefully around her waist to pick her up, and walked through the door to a gigantic desk to use that as a makeshift bed for Yumi. He set her up on the desk against the wall and collapsed from weakness over her legs.  
  
"Ulrich, come on. Get up here so I can watch over you." Yumi told him as she just barely was able to pull him up on the desk next to her. He sat up and pulled out his cell phone to call Jeremie and Odd.  
  
"Yumi, I'm gonna call Jeremie and Odd so they can come get us and take us to the infirmary."  
  
"Okay... tell them to hurry... I'm fine for now; you're the one who needs to be treated first. If that arm doesn't get set perfectly in a couple of hours, they'll have to re-break your arm to set it right." Ulrich cringed when she said that. He was so weak; it took everything he had just to pull out his cell phone. He hit the speed dial button, but passed out while lifting the phone up to his face. His head, in turn, fell on Yumi's dislocated shoulder hard.  
  
"Ahh!!! Are you okay? That really hurt, Ulrich. Ulrich? Oh great; he's gone and passed out." Yumi laid Ulrich's head in her lap and picked up his phone just as Jeremie picked up on the other side.  
  
"Hello? Ulrich?" The blonde haired boy asked into the receiver.  
  
"Hey Jeremie. This is Yumi."  
  
"Oh, hey. Why are you on Ulrich's cell? Why aren't you on yours?"  
  
"Long story, but the basic's of it are we're in the control room of the factory. The elevator's busted and that's what started it all. Ulrich's unconscious with a broken arm, and I'm kinda beat up too, but Ulrich needs medical attention first."  
  
"Okay, Yumi. Odd and I are on our way. Here, talk to Odd and stay awake while I get a first aid kit. We'll be there as soon as we can." Yumi heard a shuffle of hands, some conversation, then Odd's voice coming through the other side.  
  
"Yumi, you there? What happened, man? Jeremie says it's an emergency, so I'm already on my way. Jeremie's coming with the medical kit after I get there. Now, where are you again?"  
  
"We're... in the control room..., but... the elevator's busted.... You'll... have to find... another way..."  
  
"Okay, be there in a few minutes, Yumi. Yumi? Yumi?! Stay with me, Yumi. C'mon, wake up. YUMI!!!" Odd shouted into the phone to try and wake her up. Unfortunately, the phone was far from her ear. She was lying over Ulrich's chest, unconscious from the loss of blood, which had become a pool and dripped off the side of the desk. The cell phone fell had fallen out of Yumi's hand a few inches from her fingers.  
  
"Shoot. Well, that's exactly what I didn't want to happen. Now, I really gotta punch it if I wanna get to them in time." He said to himself as he took off faster than when he first started. He decided to page Jeremie on his computer. Aelita would find the message too, but he didn't care, he wanted her to find out too so she could warn Jeremie too. Odd typed in the message as he said it.  
  
"911! Yumi's passed out too, and I've stepped up my pace to get to them. Hurry. I don't know how long they'll last anymore. –Odd" He pushed the send button and away went the message. Fortunately, Jeremie was digging in his closet for his kit, when Aelita got the message. Jeremie already told her about the situation while he was digging for his medical kit.  
  
"Jeremie, you got a message. It's from Odd. Oh... my... Jeremie, Yumi's passed out and Odd's not there yet! He said to hurry, he doesn't know how long either are going to last anymore."  
  
"Send him a message telling him I'm on my way. See you later. I'll mail you when I get there." He said as he ran out the dorm room.  
  
Yumigirl06: So, how'd you like it? Flames will be used to roast hotdogs and marshmallows, but criticism that will help the story get better is most appreciated. I'll update when I can, 'cause we're goin to Dallas for vacation this weekend. Hopefully they have a connection in the hotel.  
  
Odd: So, Yumigirl06, is this new chick cute?  
  
Ulrich: Is that all you can think about Odd? Food and girls; in that order?  
  
Yumi: I don't know guys; I've seen him play his Gameboy just about as much as I've seen him eat.  
  
Odd: Hey now Yumi, I wonder about you sometimes. I don't know what you stare blankly at more; the chalkboard while you're in class or Ulrich when you're not.  
  
Yumi and Ulrich blush, while Ulrich shoots Odd a glare.  
  
Jeremie: Okay guys, let's get back on track. The quicker this conversation ends, the quicker the next chapter comes.  
  
Odd, Yumi, and Ulrich: Yes daddy. 


	2. Recovery

Okay guys, here's the next chappie. Like I've said before, I don't own Code: Lyoko, (or anything for that matter) except my imagination and the character that'll be here in the next two chapters. On with the story!  
  
Meanwhile, Ulrich felt slow, cold breathing on him. He had gained more strength since he passed out and was now able to move a bit more than before. He looked up to see Yumi on his chest, unconscious and still bleeding, though most of the wounds had started to clot. He carefully sat up, being careful not to injure his arm or Yumi anymore and situated Yumi so her head was now on his lap. When he was settled, he knew what his next task would have to be. He would have to wake up Yumi somehow. He tried calling her name and gently rocking her head. None of this was working, he realized, so he would have to do the one thing he didn't want to do; he had to wake her up by causing her pain. He reached for her dislocated shoulder and moved it. Yumi winced first, grabbed Ulrich's arm, then let out a cry of pain. She started crying, and looked at him with tears in her eyes.  
  
"Ulrich... why...did...you...do...that? It hurts so badly already, and that didn't help any."  
  
"I'm so sorry Yumi," He said gently, moving the hair out of her eyes.  
  
"But I had to wake you up. You... have to... stay... awake... for me, so I... know you'll... be okay. Don't worry... about me. I was... sleeping. I need... to sleep... again until... Odd and Jeremie... get here. Promise you'll... stay awake."  
  
"I promise. I'll wake you up when he gets here." But Ulrich had already fallen asleep against the wall. About 5 minutes later, Odd came bursting through the side doors.  
  
"Yumi?! Ulrich?! Where are... oh...my..." He said slowly before running as fast as he could toward the desk they were on.  
  
"Yumi, are you okay? You look worse than Ulrich. We need to get to you first."  
  
"No! Take care of Ulrich first. Then you can worry about me." She said forcefully to him. Just then, Jeremie ran through the doors to where Odd and the others were.  
  
"I can use the materialization program to get Aelita so she can help get you bandaged up, Yumi. I'll be back. Odd, carefully pull Ulrich off the desk and onto another table. Yumi, you just chill there. We'll get you guys stable, then figure out what to do with you two." Jeremie told them as he ran to the computer. A few minutes later, Aelita ran in behind Jeremie and went to Yumi like she was told to. She sat Yumi up which caused the dried wounds to open up again. Yumi winced when the air hit her re-opened wounds, but dealt with it for the moment. Aelita slid Yumi off the desk and led her to a bathroom that was especially for the girls of the group, which up until now had been just Yumi. It had changes of clothes for Yumi just in case something happened to her outfit she had on at the time. It also had a giant bathtub and a big shower next to it. Aelita helped Yumi undress and get her in the tub full of warm water. She stayed there just in case something happened, but Yumi washed away all the blood and dirt on her. She forgot all bout her shoulder for the time being. She'd have to get someone strong to pop it back in. As soon as she got out and dried off, she felt as good as new, save for her shoulder. She looked at her back, and there were no cuts, not even a scar! She felt almost 100 percent better.  
  
"Aelita, what was that stuff? I feel almost completely better."  
  
"That was a special Lyoko healing powder I put in the water. It'll heal everything except dislocated joints, ironically. It will heal broken bones though. So if I let Ulrich bathe in it..."  
  
"His broken arm will heal."  
  
"Exactly. He'll be completely healed."  
  
"What're we waiting for then? Let's go tell him." She dressed into her clothes and went to Ulrich's makeshift bed. By this time, Ulrich had woken up again and was sitting up talking every now and then with Jeremie and Odd. They all looked at Yumi as she walked up to them; the only thing bothering her was her shoulder by then.  
  
"Yumi? But how did you...?" Ulrich stared at Yumi.  
  
"This special healing powder that Aelita has. It'll heal everything that's wrong with you. Unfortunately, it couldn't heal my shoulder. I'll need you to put it back in once you're healed. You're the strongest here. No offense you guys." She said looking at Odd and Jeremie.  
  
"Hey don't worry about it. Ulrich is the brawn, I'm just the brains." Jeremie said.  
  
"It's nothing. Ulrich beat the stuffing out of me in our last karate match. But that was only when he caught me." Odd agreed. Yumi gave them an apologetic smile then turned to Aelita when she came back in the room.  
  
"Ulrich, are you ready? The healing water is all set."  
  
"Yeah, Odd, Jeremie, you guys wanna help me there?" The two boys nodded and led him to the bathroom. 15 minutes later, Ulrich came out looking fresh and revived.  
  
"Thank you Aelita. That water made me 100 percent again." He said giving her a thank you hug. He then turned his attention to Yumi, who, by this time, was silently crying when her shoulder so much as shifted.  
  
"Hey guys, can you go check out the elevator's condition? We have to figure out how long it'll take to get it repaired. Yumi and I'll meet you there as soon as I get her shoulder back in place." Ulrich said the last part quieter because he didn't want Yumi to get nervous, but she knew what was coming, and there was no way she could've gotten any more tense. She sat on the desk by the side doors holding her shoulder and dreading the moment it would have to go back in. Odd, Aelita, and Jeremie nodded and walked out the doors with Ulrich following them as far as the doors. He closed them, then turned his attention to Yumi, and walked up to her with a slight smile on his face. He didn't want to be the one to do this, but he also knew that no one else was as strong as he was, and he mentally hit himself because he knew he would have to cause pain to the one he cared for more than anyone else on this planet.  
  
"Hey. You ready to get this over with?" He asked her. She turned her head to him and forced a smile.  
  
"Ready as I'll ever be." She answered with a slight sigh. Ulrich helped her lie down on the desk so her right shoulder faced him.  
  
"Okay, what do I do now Yumi?" He asked her.  
  
"You have to pull my shoulder towards you then move it around until you feel it go back in. Put your left hand over the joint so you know when it goes in. It should pop right back in after you...pull it." She said slowly. Ulrich decided to calm her nerves a bit by having small talk here and there as he got ready to pop her shoulder back in. He looked at her now fragile form, shaking from nervousness and pain. He moved his hand and pushed some hair out from her face and looked at her tenderly. Yumi was a bit taken back by this, but kinda already knew that he had something for her.  
  
"Hey Yumi." He said quietly as he placed his left hand over her shoulder and his right hand on her upper arm.  
  
"Yeah?" She answered just as quietly, still a bit tense. Ulrich leaned in closer right next to her ear as his hands tightened up a bit on her arm and whispered the three words he always wanted to say to her.  
  
"I love you..." She looked at him stunned and completely taken back. This gave Ulrich the opportunity, and he popped it back in.  
  
"Wha-? ARGH!!!" She said as she felt her arm being pulled and popped back into place. After it back in, she jerked away from him and turned her back from him. Yumi jumped off the desk opposite Ulrich and cried silently. Ulrich, by this time, felt completely horrible about having to hurt her. He walked around the desk behind Yumi and hugged her gently. She froze at the contact, but soon accepted it and let Ulrich comfort her. After a few minutes, Ulrich turned Yumi around to face him, his hands on her hips. He wiped away a few tears that flowed from her eyes and looked at her with all the love he had in the world.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah, it's not as bad as it was before." They both fell silent, blushing but not changing their position. Ulrich's face inched closer to Yumi's, who was also starting to close the gap too. She didn't know why she was doing this, but she had wanted to do this for the longest time, longer than he'd wanted to. It seemed an eternity to Yumi, but finally their lips met in a soft but passionate kiss. She decided to let the moment play out and closed her eyes with his as she wrapped her good arm around his neck. They pulled back reluctantly when they needed to breathe, and Yumi blushed a dark crimson.  
  
"Yumi, I was serious back there. I... I love you." He said gently.  
  
"Ulrich, I..." She was about to say when a giant crash rang over them both.  
  
"What was that? It sounded like it came from..." Yumi started.  
  
"Where Odd, Aelita, and Jeremie went to look at he elevator!" Ulrich said quickly. They both looked at each other and nodded. They ran out the doors towards the bridge where the crash came from. When they reached the bridge, they were shocked to find only Odd there, with a piece of the railing of the bridge broken behind him. He was fighting what looked to a crab from Lyoko! He had a chain in his hand and various burns all over his body from where the crab hit him. He was on one knee, hunched over, looking like he was ready for the final and fatal blow.  
  
"ODD!!!" Yumi cried out just as the crab charged its laser gun. Odd looked at Ulrich and Yumi and used what little energy he had left to dodge the blast and clumsily run to them. Ulrich grabbed the chain out of Odd's hand and faced the monster. Yumi caught Odd right before he fell hard on the concrete.  
  
"Yumi, take Odd to a safe place to rest, I'll deal with this." Yumi looked up from Odd to Ulrich, worry plastered all over her face.  
  
"But..."  
  
"Yumi, please. Do this for me. I'll be fine. Just go. Now!" Ulrich said as the charged laser just barely missed him by a couple of inches. Yumi picked him up and ran as fast as she could away from the battle. Odd wanted to go back so bad he was struggling with Yumi to get there.  
  
"Yumi, you don't understand! Jeremie and Aelita fell off the side of the bridge! Jeremie was still holding on, but I didn't see Aelita anywhere. That's when I found out it was the crab that did that. I was protecting Jeremie! I have to go back and help Ulrich!"  
  
"No, you won't. I'll go get Jeremie and Aelita and bring them back here. You have to stay here. I'll get Ulrich's sword and give it to him to fight with, but the most help you can be to anyone is if you stay here!" She told him as she set him down and ran out the doors with Ulrich's sword in her hand. Odd finally gave in to exhaustion and fell asleep in the corner of the control room.  
  
Meanwhile, Ulrich had held his own for a while, but the chain he had could only deal so much damage. He resorted to evasive maneuvers for the past few minutes when he noticed someone running towards him from the corner of his eye. He dodged another shot and looked to see Yumi running to him with his sword at her side unsheathed and poised to strike. She ran underneath the crab and sliced a couple of its legs off. That stunned it long enough for her to toss the sword to Ulrich. He caught it and finished off the crab with a hit to the top of its head. He ran out of the way as it exploded and turned just in time to see Yumi diving off the bridge into the river below.  
  
"Yumi! What're you doing?!" He yelled for her. Ulrich sheathed his sword and ran to the edge and was about to jump after her when he saw Jeremie hanging from a bar just below him. Jeremie was looking at Yumi and yelled at her that he was up here, but looked up to see Ulrich looking at him.  
  
"Ulrich, don't jump! At least pull me up first." He said half sarcastically.  
  
"Of course! I wasn't just gonna let you hang like this. What kinda friend would I be?" Ulrich said chuckling while pulling Jeremie up on the bridge.  
  
"Jeremie, can you walk? Odd's probably unconscious in the control room. I told Yumi to take him there and stay with him, but just a minute ago, I saw her jump off the bridge! Do you know why?" Jeremie turned pale, but nodded.  
  
"Ae...Aelita. I held onto her as long as I could, but she pried my hand off her own... to save me, and fell in the river. I was able to pull myself up onto the bar, and I've been here ever since..." He told him, obviously weak and upset at the fact he couldn't hold on to Aelita. Ulrich placed a reassuring hand on Jeremie's shoulder.  
  
"Hey, Yumi went to look for her. Aelita'll be just fine, I'm sure of it. Yumi won't give up on anything, and I'm pretty sure she's not gonna start now." Jeremie nodded.  
  
"Yeah. Okay, let's go check on Odd. If I know him, he's probably awake and trying to get back over to us. I've got his Gameboy." He laughed pulling out Odd's main source of entertainment from his pocket. They both started laughing on their way to the control room.  
  
Meanwhile, Yumi swam down the cold murky river water, spitting out the nasty taste she got when she first plunged in. She finally came to a place where she could get out and search from a higher place. After about 5 minutes of running down the tunnel searching for any sign of life she came to a secret beach no one knew about. That's probably why it was so beautiful. She ran down the beach looking for anything when she found some footprints that she definitely didn't make. These prints were smaller, with just a smooth mark left from them. Her own prints made swirls that engraved the brand on the sand. These prints led away from the beach into a cave hidden by vines, shrubs, and moss around the edges. Yumi breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
"Finally, a lead to where she is. I gotta hurry, though... the boys must be worried." She walked up to the entrance of the cave and poked her head in to make sure it was safe before she ran in. It was dark and quiet, so Yumi went outside and got a piece of dried wood about 31/2 feet long, wet it all except for the top, and used her lighter to light the top and used it as a torch. She walked into the dark, dank cave and followed the footsteps that went in before her. It seemed like forever walking in the eerie cave before Yumi finally found a sign that Aelita was in that cave. Yumi went and saw what exactly it was.  
  
"Aelita's shoe. She has to be near. Aelita? Aelita. Are you here?" It only took a few minutes of searching after Yumi found Aelita's shoe for her to find Aelita herself. Aelita had made small noises with a rock against the cave wall to attract Yumi's attention. Yumi ran up to Aelita.  
  
"Aelita. Thank goodness you're alive. Jeremie probably would've killed me so I could look for you and bring you back you back from the dead." She said laughing. Aelita smiled but soon grew quiet.  
  
"Aelita. C'mon, you have to stay awake for me. You have to help me get back, plus I need someone to talk to." Yumi pulled Aelita out to the ocean water and splashed the surprisingly cold water on Aelita's face. Aelita shuddered and opened her eyes immediately.  
  
"What happened? Ow! My head... hurts." She said groggily.  
  
"Good Aelita. Now, we need to find the shortest way back to Ulrich, Odd, and Jeremie."  
  
"Jeremie? He's safe?"  
  
"Yeah, I think he's just weak from holding on so long. We need to get back quick so we can do a thorough check to see if you're alright."  
  
"I think I can make it back, then I need to rest."  
  
"That's fine, I'll let you spend a few days at my house, then if you want, you can go back to Lyoko."  
  
"That sounds good. Now let's get going. Everyone's probably worried sick about you."  
  
"I'm fine, just a little tired, and Ulrich knows I'll be fine. Hey, don't tell the others now, but I think Ulrich and I hooked up earlier."  
  
"Really? That's awesome. I'm excited for you two. We all knew you two would get together, we just didn't know when."  
  
"It was that obvious?"  
  
"Yeah." Aelita said snickering. Yumi helped her to her feet and they were off to the control room. They went back the way they came, with Aelita talking to Yumi every few minutes so she knew she was alright. When they reached the bridge, Yumi saw Ulrich looking for them with a telescope towards the other side of the factory. Yumi thought about scaring him, but now was not really a time to play games.  
  
"Hey Ulrich, down here!" She called to him, treading water with Aelita holding herself above the water via Yumi's shoulder. Ulrich turned and waved to them. He then ran into the building and grabbed a rope to pull them up. He threw one end down to them and tied the other end to a bar on the other side of the bridge. He waved as if to say it was okay, and Yumi turned to Aelita.  
  
"Okay, Aelita, tie this to your waist and Ulrich'll pull you up."  
  
"What about you?"  
  
"He'll pull me up after your up there and safe. Don't worry, I'll be fine. I used to be on a swim team when I was smaller."  
  
"Okay. See you up there." Aelita said as she was hoisted up onto the bridge. As soon as she was up on the bridge, Ulrich dropped the rope and pulled up a fatigued Yumi up on the bridge. Ulrich grabbed her hand and pulled her up, then hugged her when she was up safely, not caring that she was completely soaked to the bone. They pulled away, got up, and noticed that Aelita was too weak to move, so Ulrich carried her on his back to the control room. Aelita fell asleep on the way there, and didn't even notice when Ulrich set her down on a desk and laid her down next to Odd. Jeremie was ecstatic when Aelita was safe back with them, and thanked Yumi more than she wanted to be thanked.  
  
"It's okay Jeremie. I know Aelita would've done that if it was me instead of her." Yumi said as she plopped down into a chair, tired and chilled. Ulrich went to a closet in the guy's bathroom and got a few towels. He wrapped Aelita in a few so she wouldn't catch hypothermia, and then walked over to Yumi. Jeremie was next to Odd treating him for burns, so he couldn't see what was going on. Ulrich walked over and wrapped the remaining towels around her now shivering form. She gladly accepted them when Ulrich wrapped them tightly around her shoulders and legs. He then came behind her and wrapped his arms around her and held her close to generate heat on her back. Yumi leaned her head back on his shoulder and closed her eyes as she fell into a peaceful slumber. Everyone was safe and healing, which meant her work was done. Jeremie turned around and gave a thumbs up sign to Ulrich to say that Odd would be just fine as would Aelita when he noticed the way Ulrich held Yumi. Then it clicked in his head.  
  
"You two are together now, am I right?" Ulrich gave a smirk and a quiet chuckle.  
  
"Yeah, I guess you could say that. Right after that claw hit her back there, I thought about how close I came to losing her, and about what I would do if she fell. If she would've fallen, I would've jumped after her. Then it hit me. I mentally slapped myself when I finally realized that all that stuff meant I loved her. And I do, Jeremie. I love her with all my heart. I would never harm her, nor let her go into harms way. I want to tell her all that and more, but I'm scared of how she'll react."  
  
"Just tell her exactly that. Tell her you have to talk to her, and take her off into the next room. I'll worry about Odd and Aelita. They're both asleep." Ulrich looked at Yumi.  
  
"I think Yumi is too. I'll tell her when she wakes up. Right now, I think we all need to rest. You go get some sleep; if something comes up, I'll take care of it." Jeremie nodded.  
  
"Okay, Yumi'll need to call her parents that she'll be in late though. They'll worry and suspect something if not."  
  
"You're right. I need to wake her and tell her, but I don't want to. She looks so peaceful. Oh well." He said as he gently shook Yumi awake.  
  
"Huh? Who's there? Ulrich? Why'd you wake me up?"  
  
"You need to tell your parents that you'll be late coming in, and that Aelita's staying with you for a few days." Ulrich told her softly.  
  
"Oh yeah. You got your cell? Mine's in my book bag next to the elevator." "Yeah, here you go." He handed her his cell phone and she walked away to talk to her parents.  
  
"Hey Mom, I have to work on a project for some extra credit in a class, so I'll be in pretty late."  
  
"Okay honey, just be careful getting home." Her mom answered.  
  
"Alright. Hey Mom, can I have a friend over for a few days? She had a fight with her parents and needs a place to crash for a while."  
  
"Oh sure, dear. Any friend of yours is always welcome to stay with us."  
  
"Thanks Mom, she'll be so grateful."  
  
"Alright, Yumi. See you in a while."  
  
"Bye, Mom." Yumi hung up the phone and gave it back to Ulrich.  
  
"My mom said Aelita could stay for a few days, so we're all set."  
  
"Good. See you guys in a bit." Jeremie said walking away towards an empty desk. Ulrich put his phone away after he set an alarm and motioned for Yumi to come back to the way they were before. Yumi complied and leaned back into Ulrich's strong arms which enveloped her, making her feel safe. She closed her eyes.  
  
"I set an alarm that'll wake us up in about an hour and a half."  
  
"Okay." She answered him sleepily.  
  
"Hey Yumi?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I, uh... nevermind. I'll tell you later. Let's get some rest." And they both drifted off into a peaceful slumber. An hour an a half seemed to fly by in 5 minutes to everyone, and soon, Ulrich had to wake up Yumi and the others. After he woke up Yumi with a kiss on the cheek, he woke up Jeremie, Odd, and Aelita. Jeremie got up easily, but Odd acted like a 2 year old and pitched a fit when he got up. Aelita woke up easier than Odd, but didn't like it when she had to get up. Yumi told Aelita that she told her parents that she had to act like she had a fight with her parents, and Aelita put on her best impression. Jeremie agreed to take an upset Odd back to his dorm, and Ulrich volunteered to take the girls to Yumi's house. Ulrich led Yumi and Aelita back to Yumi's house, each one had one of Ulrich's arms to hold on to. When they got there, Aelita turned to them both.  
  
"I'll leave you two alone so you can say goodnight to each other. Yumi, I'll wait by the door." They nodded and turned to face each other.  
  
"Well, I guess this is goodnight." Ulrich told her. Yumi blushed.  
  
"Yeah. Well, goodni-..." She started to say, but was cut off by Ulrich's lips on hers. His hands slipped around her waist and pulled her closer as her arms stayed in place at her sides. When they broke apart, both out of breath, Yumi was sporting a bright crimson on her cheeks.  
  
"Goodnight." She said, out of breath. Ulrich took a deep breath and kissed her again. After he ended the kiss, still holding her close to him, and his face centimeters from hers, he answered.  
  
"See you tomorrow. Oh, and as for your birthday in a couple of weeks, I know it runs in with that trip that the upperclassmen are taking, so, I'm planning a special treat for all of us."  
  
"No way! Really? That sounds awesome, Ulrich! I can't wait!" She smiled as she gave him a quick thank you hug and kiss, then she ran up the stairs to her house. She waved at Ulrich, who returned the wave, then opened the door and went inside with Aelita close behind. Ulrich watched them get safely inside, then ran all the way back to his dorm, careful not to attract unwanted attention from Jim or anyone else. He reached his room and made it just in time to catch a glimpse of Odd's infamous sleepy randomness.  
  
"But Mommy! I don't wanna ride the pony! I love mustard!" He said with his index finger high up in the air over his head and his pillow in the other, held close to his chest. (Kinda like the statue of liberty.) After that, he collapsed back onto his bed and a snore could be heard coming from his area. Ulrich just rolled his eyes, popped in some earplugs, and fell asleep right there on his bed, still in his damp clothes.  
  
Yumigirl06: Any better than the last one? Send reviews, and helpful constructive criticism.  
  
Odd: Aww, Yumi and Ulrich, sittin' in a tree, (Ulrich goes to slap the back of his head.) k-i-s-s-iiioww! what was that for?  
  
Ulrich pulls his hand away quickly.  
  
Ulrich: Oh, I'm sorry, it slipped.  
  
Odd: Well, you guys did! Let's see one...two......four times!  
  
Jeremie: He does have a point Ulrich.  
  
Aelita: Uh Jeremie, is that a bad thing? To kiss I mean.  
  
Jeremie blushes, while everyone else gets quiet instantly.  
  
Jeremie: Well, no. It lets the other person know that you have feelings for them.  
  
Aelita nods, stares at the floor for a split second, then walks up to Jeremie and kisses him. Everyone in the room is stunned, then starts yelling.  
  
Yumigirl06 and Yumi: Yeah! Go Aelita!  
  
Odd: Whoo-hoo! Jeremie, you dog!  
  
Jeremie and Aelita break apart, and Jeremie looks to Ulrich, who flashes him a thumbs up.  
  
Jeremie: Okay guys, let's get to the next chapter. 


	3. Time To Party

Here we go! The next chapter. Oh, almost forgot. (Turns on robot.) Yumigirl06 does not own Code: Lyoko, just her imagination and the new character coming up in the next chapter. Thank you. (Turns off robot.) On with the story!  
  
Yumi woke up from her peaceful night's slumber in her own bed and room.  
  
'Yesterday was the weirdest and toughest day we'd ever had since we learned of Lyoko and met Aelita. Oh, I almost forgot, Aelita's living with me for a while. I wonder if she's awake.' She thought to herself as she looked to where she let Aelita sleep last night. Yumi had pulled a spare roll out bed that she always kept in case she had friends stay for a while. She laughed to herself when she remembered the time a few years ago when she had to convince her parents that Ulrich was just a friend that had to stay over until his dorm room had been decontaminated.  
  
Flashback...  
  
Odd had brought a skunk in there thinking it was a cat! (Oh... only Odd...) The skunk got scared and sent its spray of doom everywhere. Yumi walked up to her parents when Odd had bunked with Jeremy and all other guys in the dorm were already paired up.  
  
"Mom, Dad. I have to ask you two a humongous favor, and don't go completely nuts after I say it, please." Her parents just smiled at her.  
  
"Don't worry, Yumi." Her dad started.  
  
"We won't freak out. Now, what is it that you have to ask?" Yumi gulped and decided not to sugar coat it and just say it.  
  
"Ulrich needs a place to stay until his room is decontaminated. Odd brought a skunk into the room thinking it was a cat."  
  
"Well, can't he and Odd stay with your other friend Jeremie until it's clean?" Her dad grew nervous. He knew where this was going.  
  
"There's only enough room for two people in each room, and Jeremie's room was the only room without another person in it. The rest of the building is full, and I was thinking..."  
  
"He could stay with us? Was that it?" Her dad finished. Yumi nodded slowly.  
  
"Yes, sir." Her dad shifted feet.  
  
"If I remember correctly, isn't someone in this room taking a certain liking to Ulrich?" Her dad raised an eyebrow questioningly. Yumi blushed slightly.  
  
"No, he's my friend, nothing more, and he just needs a place to crash for a while. If you're worried about something happening, trust me, nothing's going to happen. He's only my friend. Please Dad? Wouldn't you let one of your friends spend a few days with you if they were in need of a place to crash?" Her dad thought about it for a good while when Yumi's mom put her two cents in.  
  
"Ulrich's a good boy. We can trust him to behave himself."  
  
"Well, I guess you're right. But he doesn't set one foot in your room." Yumi's spirits were lifted higher than she thought before. She hugged her parents tightly.  
  
"Thank you Dad! Thank you Mom! Ulrich'll be so relieved when he finds out he has a place to live for a while." She said as she ran out the door to go tell him immediately. As she promised to her parents, Ulrich didn't set a foot inside, but at night, Yumi would set up his bed to where it was right next to the door so they could talk about whatever.  
  
End Flashback...  
  
Yumi snapped out of her daydream when she noticed that Aelita was moving her hand in front of Yumi's face.  
  
"Hello? Earth to Yumi, snap out of it. Remember, we have to meet the others at the factory later to see if we can't fix the elevator. Jeremie's picking me up early to go make some early morning calculations, and I heard that Ulrich was going to pick you up a bit after me and take you somewhere special." She said adding a bit of a high pitched note at the end. Yumi raised both eyebrows in surprise.  
  
"What? We haven't been going out a full day and he's already doing all this for me? This is... well... how can I say it?" Aelita smiled brightly.  
  
"Awesome? I think that's how Odd says it."  
  
"Awesome? Awesome?! There isn't a word in the world that can explain how I feel right now." She said with a smile on her face.  
  
"Well, you had better get ready. Jeremie's here to get me."  
  
"Oh. I guess I better hurry. I doubt he'd like to go out with me in my pajamas." Aelita laughed.  
  
"Yeah, I agree. Well, I gotta go; I'll talk to you later." Yumi waved at her as she walked out the bedroom, still in the clothes from yesterday. Yumi looked in her closet and picked out an outfit she'd been meaning to wear for a while.  
  
"This is perfect." She said.  
  
Outside Yumi's house...  
  
Ulrich checked his watch. Yumi said she'd be out by now. He looked at his watch again, dressed in a snug fitting dark blue t-shirt with black jeans. When he looked at back at her house, he froze. Yumi walked down the steps of her house with not much of a change. Instead of wearing her usual long sleeve black t-shirt; she wore a sleeveless black shirt that didn't show her stomach with tight fitting black jeans. Yumi walked up to him giggling to herself.  
  
"Ulrich, are you going to look at me like that all day, or were we going to go somewhere?" Ulrich just nodded slowly and pulled himself back together.  
  
"Uh, yeah. Wow, Yumi, you look great." Yumi just giggled at how much he was blown away by just a minor change in her wardrobe.  
  
"Thank you Ulrich. You don't look too bad yourself. Now, why were you planning an early morning date? I thought most dates were done in the evening?" Ulrich put on a sly grin.  
  
"Oh, I know. But that's not until later on in the evening. But, you can't know where we're going, that's a surprise." Yumi put on a cute frown, but it quickly turned into a smile.  
  
"Actually, Yumi, this morning I was planning a breakfast date, then we'll meet up with Odd and the others to fix the elevator, then all of us and this girl Odd met are going to go to this teen's club on the other side of town. And yes, if you were wondering or even care, I'll be driving, so we won't have to catch the bus. I don't like taking the bus at night, especially when I'll be responsible for the safety of three girls."  
  
"That's so cool Ulrich! I can't wait, and I'm sure the others will be excited to find out."  
  
"Actually, Jeremie, Odd and I planned it last night, so we're each asking our respective special girls out tonight." Yumi smiled at him, put her arms around him and gave him a small soft kiss on the lips.  
  
"This is going to be so cool, Ulrich. Thank you." He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulled her closer and returned the kiss, making it softer than hers was which made Yumi melt.  
  
"You're welcome." He offered her his arm, she gladly took it, and they walked down the road to have the breakfast date Ulrich said they'd have.  
  
Later that day...  
  
Odd and Jeremie had already asked their girls out, and they said yes, obviously, so around lunch, everyone met at the elevator so they could get started on fixing the elevator. It took until around 7 to get the thing almost completely repaired, and, since it was summer, that meant they had all the time in the world to finish the repairs. Ulrich wiped some sweat off his forehead onto the change of clothes he had brought. Everyone had done that so the good clothes they wore in the morning weren't all gross for the club date that night.  
  
"Okay guys, it's 7:15; I vote we go clean up and change back into our good clothes, then I'll go pick up the car my parents sent me from the U.S., then pick everyone up around 9. That cool with everyone?" The group nodded in unison.  
  
"Cool, just make sure you're ready by then, we have to hurry before it gets too crowded." Aelita walked over to Yumi.  
  
"C'mon, we have to hurry. The boy's rooms are right over there. Your house is quite a ways from here." Yumi nodded.  
  
"Right. See you guys later!" She said as she took for off for her house with Aelita close behind. All the boys turned to each other.  
  
"We'd better hurry too. I don't know about you guys, but the airport is 45 minutes from here by bus, so I'd better go do that first." Odd nodded and turned to run to the dorms.  
  
"Okay. Hey Jeremie, race you back to the room!" Jeremie turned with a smile on his face.  
  
"I'll try but I'm pretty sure you're going to beat me... again." They took off, leaving Ulrich to start heading for the airport.  
  
Yumigirl06: You know the drill. No destructive flames, just constructive criticism. Hope it's getting better.  
  
Yumi: I didn't know your parents live in the U.S., Ulrich.  
  
Ulrich: Yeah. I just never really told anyone. They're like, millionaires, so they send me stuff sometimes. It's okay.  
  
Sissi: Oooo, cute and rich too! I'm even more in love now.  
  
Yumi walks up behind Ulrich and wraps her arms around his neck, leaning her head on his shoulder.  
  
Ulrich: Sissi, I don't feel like talking to you, so just go.  
  
Jeremie: Yeah, make like a tree and leaf.  
  
Odd: And if you didn't understand that, then make like a banana and split!  
  
Sissi: Hmph!  
  
Sissi walks away, and Odd, Jeremie, and Ulrich high five each other.  
  
Odd: Score one for us, nothin' for Sissi. Okay, time for the next chappie! 


	4. Ulrich's Wild Ride

(Sits with feet on the desk, sipping a Diet Sunkist, and flips the switch on the robot.) Yumigirl06 does not own Code: Lyoko, just her imagination and the new character, Kiki. 'Nuf said.  
  
Later...  
  
Everyone was in Jeremie's room, waiting for Aelita, Yumi, and their ride, Ulrich, who had promised to drive them to the teen club in style.  
  
"Hey, Odd, have you seen Ulrich? Wasn't he supposed to be here by now?" Jeremie asked the blonde haired boy as he checked his watch. Odd just shrugged his shoulders and turned his attention back to Kiki, his date, who looked confused when Jeremie's grave expression caught Aelita's attention. She had come up before Yumi so Yumi could finish getting ready and meet them up there later.  
  
"Aelita, what do you think? Do you think that "he's" got something to do with this?" Aelita shook her head.  
  
"No, but I can't help but get the feeling that something bad has happened to Ulrich." She said quietly.  
  
"Hold on, I'll call him." Jeremie said dialing Ulrich's number. Yumi walked in while Jeremie was in the middle of calling. A minute later, Jeremie hung up the cell phone, a nervous look on his face.  
  
"He's not answering. In fact, it went straight to his voice mail."  
  
"That's not like him. His phone's always on. I should know. I wake up in the middle of the night and hear his message tone going off." Odd said to all. Yumi, on the other hand, was completely clueless.  
  
"Uh, guys, who are we talking about? Who were you calling?" Jeremie and Aelita led Yumi out of the room to tell her. Jeremie turned to Odd.  
  
"Hey, take this and keep trying to call him. Leave messages, send text messages, anything, just try and reach him. I'm starting to get worried." Odd nodded and the hit the redial button.  
  
"Odd, what's going on?" Kiki asked.  
  
"It's nothing I hope, Ulrich won't answer his phone, and he's our ride to the club." Outside the room, Yumi was getting frustrated because everyone was being so secretive about this whole thing. She leaned against the wall, arms crossed with a mixed look of confusion and frustration.  
  
"Okay guys, what's going on? I though we were about to go. Where's Ulrich? He's supposed to be here already." Aelita and Jeremie exchanged nervous glances before Aelita decided to tell her the news.  
  
"Uh, Yumi, we think something's happened to Ulrich. His phone is either off or destroyed. We want to believe the first. I don't believe Xana has something to do with it, but I do have a bad feeling about his safety." Yumi went pale.  
  
"After all we've been through, I'd be a fool not to go with that feeling, Aelita. Jeremie, what do we need to do?"  
  
"Well first, we need to search the grounds. Oh, and Odd needs to tell his date that we can't go tonight. I'll take care of that. Meanwhile, you and Aelita go and start searching the park." Both the girls nodded and took off for the park. Jeremie told Odd, and had to call off the date with Kiki. She was upset, but understood, and when she left, Odd and Jeremie searched the main grounds of the school.  
  
In the forest behind the factory...  
  
Ulrich stumbled through the dark deep forest away from his car, beaten and bleeding freely. He managed to save his phone, but only had enough power to send two text messages. He decided to send one to Jeremy; he always had his phone. By now, he had received at least a dozen texts, each one from Jeremie's phone by Odd. Ulrich stopped walking and leaned against a tree for support.  
  
Odd or Jeremie,  
  
Hey. I'm in the woods behind the factory. Please hurry, I... I don't know how much longer I can stay conscious. I can't send but two text messages, and this is one. I'm sending the other one to Yumi to tell her I'll be okay, and to wait in my and Odd's dorm. I can still receive them, so keep sending. I gotta go, but please hurry, I thought I heard some growls around here. I just found the tree that's been dug into, the tree shelter, so look for that.  
  
-Ulrich  
  
He punched the send button and clumsily sat down in the tree shelter. He sent the next message so Yumi wouldn't be so worried about him.  
  
Yumi,  
  
Hey... don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I want you and Aelita to go to my and Odd's dorm and wait there. I can't send any more texts, but I still can receive them, so keep sending. It'll keep me awake. Don't worry, Jeremie and Odd know where I am, I'll be okay. Just relax in my room with Aelita. Okay, gotta go. Ttyl.  
  
-Ulrich  
  
He sent the message, then looked around before lying his head down and closing his eyes. Jeremie received the message immediately after it was sent, as did Yumi.  
  
"Odd, c'mon, Ulrich's at the tree shelter. We have to move!" That was all that was said before they turned around and sprinted for the factory. Yumi saw Jeremie and Odd run into the passage through the park and ran to follow, but stopped when she received her message. She was baffled. She turned to Aelita.  
  
"But, I don't get it. Why doesn't he want me to go with the boys?" Aelita read the message then led Yumi to Ulrich's dorm room.  
  
"Maybe it was dangerous, and only Odd and Jeremie know the safest way there and back. He doesn't want you or me to get hurt. Ulrich's looking out for us." Yeah, but I want to go. I want to help them. What if Odd or Jeremie get hurt? Then we'll have more to deal with."  
  
"That's true, they could get hurt, but Ulrich would've asked you or me to come and help if he felt it was needed. Jeremie and Odd'll bring him back, I'm sure of it. You just need to relax. Let's listen to the stereo in Odd's room." She said as they reached the dorm room.  
  
Meanwhile in the forest, Jeremie and Odd searched for their old hiding spot. Odd kept tripping over logs, but they managed to make it to the area where they would hide over the years. Ulrich heard them, but was too tired to call out to them. He threw a rock outside the shelter. Odd snapped up into a fighting stance.  
  
"Who's there? Ulrich? Is that you? Give us a sign so we can find you." Ulrich snapped a twig with his leg and threw another rock. That rock hit Odd's right foot. Odd looked over and caught the figure of Ulrich in the dim moonlight.  
  
"Jeremie, over here! I found him." Jeremie ran over to Odd.  
  
"Wow, Ulrich, you're a mess. Let's get you back to the dorms; Yumi's probably going nuts in your room waiting for us. I just hope Aelita can stay alive with Yumi's ranting." All three boys laughed at that. Odd and Jeremie picked up Ulrich under the arms and carried him back to the dorms. They got about 100 yards to the door to the factory when Odd heard something.  
  
"Jeremie, take Ulrich and hurry. I hear something." Just as he said that, he felt something fly by, then a piercing pain in his arm all the way around to his back. Yumi paced around the room, hands half crossed and worry written all over her face. She worried for Ulrich, but she was worried for the other two also.  
  
'I hope they can find him and get back safely. I don't wanna get a call saying something's happened to one of the others.' Aelita turned up some music that Ulrich used to relax. It was some of those nature CD's that make sounds like the sea and woods. Yumi finally got tired of waiting and called Jeremie's cell. She received no answer. Back in the forest, Odd faced his attacker, showing in the moonlight.  
  
"Odd, let's go! That's a wolf, you can't beat it! It'll kill you!" Jeremie yelled to him. Odd shook his head.  
  
"Go Jeremie! I'll hold him off so you can get Ulrich inside. I'll be there in a minute, just get him to safety!" He said as the wolf charged full speed at him. Odd dodged just as the wolf jumped for him. He jumped on the back of the wolf and put it in a head lock with one arm. (Wow, who'da thought?) He used his other arm to pull his belt off and use that to close the mouth of the wolf. He then tied the rest of it around his neck and jumped off the wolf, pushing him down in the process. Jeremie pulled a now unconscious Ulrich into the door of the factory and called out to Odd.  
  
"Odd! Let's go, we're in!" Odd took off sprinting towards the door, the wolf still following. Odd ran past Jeremie, and Jeremie closed the door right as he came in. A couple of seconds later, a loud thud could be heard on the door. Odd laughed tiredly.  
  
"Hehehe, wolves are so stupid. No matter how much you tie em up, they don't stop, even if it means running into a door. Now, because of it, I need a new belt." Jeremie rolled his eyes and let Odd catch his breath, then it was back to getting to the dorms. They reached the control room, and Jeremie stopped to call the girls.  
  
Aelita answered the phone for Yumi and talked to Jeremie for a minute. When she hung up, Yumi was looking on edge.  
  
"Well? Are they okay?" Aelita took a deep breath.  
  
"I told you not to worry. They're okay. They're in the factory, and heading over here. They'll be here in about 10 minutes." Yumi let out a huge sigh of relief, glad that her friends were okay. Jeremie walked into the dorm, watching out for Jim or anyone else. He didn't want to attract any unwanted attention. When he gave the all clear, Odd ran with Ulrich trying to help go faster. Jeremie opened the door and let Odd and Ulrich through first. Yumi and Aelita ran up to the three boys, tears in both their eyes.  
  
"Are you guys okay? What happened?" Yumi asked the boys as Odd laid Ulrich on his bed, then sat/fell down next to it. Jeremie kneeled down next to Ulrich and checked for any broken bones or blows to the head. Yumi tended to Odd's arm, cleaning his arm and back, bandaging as she went. She took a rag dipped in peroxide and placed it over the cuts on Odd's back. Odd winced and pulled away from Yumi.  
  
"Ow! That hurts Yumi!"  
  
"It's cleaning your cuts Odd. It only hurts for a few seconds, then it's all over, so bear with me." She said turning him back to her. Jeremie turned to everyone after finishing with Ulrich.  
  
"Good news guys. Ulrich doesn't have any broken bones or a concussion, just some cuts and bruises. He'll be fine, he's just tired." Odd smiled.  
  
"He'd better be. I almost died back there." Yumi gave him a puzzled look.  
  
"Huh? What do you mean?" Odd put on one of his sly smiles.  
  
"We got attacked by a wolf." He said plainly. Yumi's eyes got wide.  
  
"How can you be so calm after that?"  
  
"He used to do that all the time. They would actually come to him, not me or Ulrich. He would go out there just to wrestle a wolf some days." Jeremie cut in.  
  
"I think that's why Ulrich wanted you to stay here. He didn't want you to get in the way of that wolf. He said he heard growls and barks when he text us. He also told us you and Aelita were staying here, so we went in and out with relatively no problems." Odd said as Ulrich started to stir. Everyone moved to his bed, anxious to see how he was. Ulrich groaned and opened his eyes slowly.  
  
"Huh? Wh- Where am I? What are you guys doing here?" He said to Yumi and Aelita. Everyone just smiled at him and helped him sit up.  
  
"We're here because we were worried about you. It's okay, it's still pretty early. Ulrich, what happened to you? When I found out you were missing, I tried calling you. Then I got your message and have been here ever since." Yumi said to him. Ulrich motioned for everyone to sit down on his bed, and proceeded to tell them what happened.  
  
"Well, when I got to the airport, I found out what my parents sent me. It was a brand new Escalade, fully loaded. It was for my 17th birthday present, since they'd missed the birthday and Christmas before. I picked it up, did all the paperwork and drove it out of the garage of the airport. I saw these two guys pull out with me and start to follow me, so I drove around for a while. We finally got to the back roads and I floored it, but the followed me. I started to call the cops, but they started shooting at my tires. My guess is they were trying to steal it. The thugs hit both my back tires and my front right tire. I... lost control and flew off the side of the road. It was on elevated terrain and so the trees were below me about 50 yards down. All the safety stuff came out and I stopped by rolling until it wouldn't anymore. I fell out the car when I opened the door, and I stumbled around to try and look at the car. I couldn't see well, so I just stumbled around until I found the old tree shelter. I had heard a wolf earlier, but I kinda left that out when I mailed you Yumi; I didn't want you to worry more than you already were. Then Jeremie and Odd found me, so I let myself fall into unconsciousness. And now, we're here." He ended, trailing off. Yumi, by this time, was leaning on Ulrich's shoulder, and Aelita looked like she was about to cry. Odd was about to blow, and Jeremie was thinking to himself. Jeremie spoke up first after what seemed like forever.  
  
"Tomorrow we'll go back there and try to salvage your car. Then we'll try to find out who attacked you. Did you get their license plate number?"  
  
"Actually, I did. It's a custom plate that had the name "Arrow" with a picture of an arrow on it. It was a royal blue Jeep with the roof down."  
  
"That's perfect. That shouldn't be too hard to find at all. We'll send in the description of the truck ASAP. Maybe they've been in trouble before, oh, and we'll tell Yumi's parents to give the cops the description." Jeremie told them. Yumi looked up at him with a puzzled look.  
  
"Why my parents?"  
  
"Because they can get the police to move faster than if we called, get it?"  
  
"Oh, okay. I guess I better get going. Ulrich, you're gonna have to come with me though, so my parents can see it for themselves." Ulrich nodded and got up with the help of Yumi. Odd stood up with them.  
  
"I'll help you get him there, just in case those guys come back." A smile came across Yumi's face.  
  
"Okay, Odd. That's a good idea. Aelita, are you coming? My parents will get worried if you don't come back with me." Odd walked in front to scout out the dorm to make sure it was clear. They didn't really have to watch out, because everyone was out that night, even Jim. When they reached Yumi's house, Ulrich had become so tired he fell limp. Odd helped Yumi pick him up, then started back for the dorms. Yumi opened the door to her house and called her parents from the kitchen. When Yumi's mom and dad got a glimpse of Ulrich, they went berserk.  
  
"Yumi, what happened to Ulrich!?" Her mom asked Yumi hurriedly.  
  
"There was an accident when he was driving back from the airport. Ulrich was attacked by some guys in a royal blue Jeep Wrangler with the custom license plate Arrow, along with a picture of an arrow next to it."  
  
"Were you there with him?" Her dad asked. Yumi shook her head.  
  
"No, he told us when Odd and Jeremie found him. It's an extremely long story, but we have to send in the car's description to the police. Ulrich's okay, he's just tired. We walked from his dorm all the way over here. Odd walked with us in case something happened, and that's when Ulrich fell limp." She said as she laid Ulrich down on the couch and sat next to him. Her mother got a phone and called the police while her dad got the story from her. Ulrich woke up when the police arrived along with paramedics and gave them the same story Yumi told her dad. The paramedics cleared Ulrich and told him he wouldn't have to go to the hospital and also told him he was very lucky to have walked out with what happened to him. The police got a detailed description from Ulrich and started running scans on those types of cars to find a match. Aelita had went upstairs and cleaned up. Yumi would've gone up with her, but Ulrich asked her to stay for moral support. She stayed by his side the whole time until the police left for the night. Yumi's parents let Ulrich stay with them until the whole thing passed over. Aelita came down later, talked with Yumi and told her that she was going to go back to Lyoko and check things out, just to double check and make sure Xana wasn't up to something. Yumi moved the fold out bed next to the door inside her room, just in case Ulrich had to get up in the middle of the night. Ulrich took a hot shower to wash away everything from the events of the day. When he was done, he put on a t-shirt and boxers and walked in the room to find Yumi sitting in her pajamas and looking out the window. He walked over and sat down next to her.  
  
"Hey. You okay? You seem... well, troubled."  
  
"I... I don't know. I just feel like I should've been there. Maybe Odd wouldn't have gotten hurt as bad as he did, and..." Ulrich reached for her hand to cut her off.  
  
"It's not your fault Odd got hurt. He's been doing that since before we met you. Then after you came, we didn't want to worry you about that, so we stopped going. Odd's just rusty at that. We'd watch him, and sometimes we'd even join him, but for the most part he'd wrestle them. One almost killed me one time, but Odd tackled it and saved me. That was also the day before we met you."  
  
"Oh, so that's why you looked so messed up that day."  
  
"Yeah. I'm glad Odd's my friend; I'd hate to be his enemy. And besides, if he wouldn't have saved me that day, I wouldn't have met you." He told her hugging her tightly. She laughed.  
  
"I don't know what I would've done if I hadn't met you and the other boys. You guys kept me from going nuts at that school. Day school is okay, but afterwards, I had nothing to do. Even sports were starting to get boring for me. Then I met you guys; and the rest... is history." Yumi said kissing him on the cheek. Ulrich returned the kiss and added a hug into the mix. They fell silent for a while, then Yumi stood up to stretch.  
  
"Okay, I'm beat. I'm sure you're more tired than I am; after all, you've had the most stressful time out of all of us." Ulrich stood up as well.  
  
"Well, I could only imagine how much you were worried and stressed when you found out I was missing. I think that you were just as stressed as I was." Yumi giggled and gave Ulrich a goodnight hug.  
  
"Just the same, we both need our rest, and we have a busy day tomorrow. My parents talked to your parents and they told me that my parents are going to pay for the repairs to your Escalade, and your parents are going to reimburse them later. And my parents told yours you'd be staying with us until your healed, but that shouldn't take too long." Yumi ended with a big yawn. Ulrich returned the hug and went over to his bed; Yumi went to her bed and turned out the light.  
  
"Goodnight, Ulrich."  
  
"'Night, Yumi. See you in the morning." All that could be heard was the deep breathing of Yumi's deep state of sleeping. Ulrich smiled, closed his eyes, and let a night of peaceful take him over.  
  
Yumigirl06: Same as before. Send reviews, and constructive criticism.  
  
Odd: How'd you like that ancient history lesson on us, Yumi?  
  
Yumi: I thought you were different before, but now I think you're just plain crazy.  
  
Odd: Thank you. Finally, someone understands my genius.  
  
Ulrich: The only time you count as a genius is when... well... let me think for a minute... that's funny... I can't seem to recall any times that count. Sorry Odd.  
  
Odd: One day, you'll all see my genius.  
  
Jeremie: So while we're waiting for that genius to appear, let's get to the next chapter. 


	5. What Is Xana Thinking?

Yumigirl06: On with the story! I'm not gonna give speech, so yeah... read.  
  
Yumi was woken up the next morning by the sound of her cell phone ringing.  
  
"Hello?" She said groggily.  
  
"Yumi, it's Odd. Hurry, we need help at the factory. Xana has activated a couple of towers, and we need everyone that can to come and clear a path for Aelita."  
  
"Okay, be right there." She said as she hung up. Ulrich stirred and looked at Yumi.  
  
"What's up? Everything okay?"  
  
"Xana's activated a couple of towers, and Odd needs help." Ulrich sat up.  
  
"I'm coming too." Yumi shook her head.  
  
"No. You're injured. Who knows what'll happen if you go to Lyoko like this. You have to sit this one out Ulrich." Ulrich stood up and went to the bathroom, a change of clothes in hand.  
  
"I'm going Yumi. You'll need all the help you can get. The scanner's just something we'll have to take a chance on." Before Yumi could answer back in protest, he was in the bathroom changing. Yumi closed her door and changed, trying to beat Ulrich out the door so he couldn't follow. To her disappointment, Ulrich had changed before her and was running out the door to the factory. Yumi ran after him, calling his name and trying to get him to not go and rest. He didn't listen and ran into a scanner. Jeremie answered the action.  
  
"About time you got here Yumi. Is Ulrich okay?"  
  
"I'm fine." Ulrich answered, which caught Jeremie off guard.  
  
"Ulrich? But, you're injured. If you go in now, you'll only have a couple of life points. You'll all be doing solo missions in different regions. You can't afford to go."  
  
"That's what I've been trying to tell him, but he's not listening to me."  
  
"Jeremie, just transfer me. I know what I'm doing." Jeremie sighed.  
  
"Fine. Transfer Ulrich. Transfer Odd. Transfer Yumi." Jeremie typed as he said. Yumi was not happy with the decision.  
  
"Jeremie, please, don't do it." But it was too late. Everyone was in the scanners and were already transferring.  
  
"Scanner Ulrich. Scanner Odd. Scanner Yumi. Virtualization." Jeremie hit the enter button and the three teens were taken to Lyoko. Yumi was dropped off in the Mountain region, Odd was transferred to the Desert region, and Ulrich was placed in the Forest region. Aelita had already deactivated the tower in the Ice region, and was headed for the Desert region next. Odd just barely killed the last monster as he was hit and knocked out of Lyoko. After that tower was taken out, Aelita moved to the Mountain region. Yumi made it out with ¾ of her life points left, and went to help Ulrich in the Forest region. Odd sighed from his spot next to Jeremie.  
  
"How come she always has points to spare?"  
  
Yumi smiled to herself as she met up with Aelita  
  
"Hey Aelita. Where's Ulrich?" The pink girl shook her head.  
  
"I haven't seen him. Jeremie, do you have a reading on him?" Jeremie sighed.  
  
"Unfortunately, no. I have a lock on the monsters, though, so you two better get going." Aelita and Yumi nodded.  
  
"Right." They both said and took off for the activated tower. Ulrich, in the meantime, was having problems of his own. He had started out with just 30 life points, and was now dealing with two crabs and a mega tank. He had taken refuge up in a tree and tried to throw his sword from up above. It took out one of the crabs, but the other found him and took twenty points from him. Ulrich used his triplication move and ran from the crab and mega tank. The action Ulrich caused caught the attention of Jeremie's scan over the region.  
  
"Yumi, Aelita, I've found him. He's west of where you are now. You actually should be able to see the monsters from where you are." Yumi and Aelita looked over to where he said and saw Ulrich running away from them towards some cover holding the left side of his chest.  
  
"C'mon Yumi. We have to hurry. He looks like he's in pain." Aelita said running ahead of her. Yumi woke up from day dreaming and ran after her to take care of the monsters. When she reached them, she threw her fan at the crab, and it exploded, but not before the impact of the explosion took 50 life points away. The mega tank turned its attention away from Ulrich to a weakened Yumi. Ulrich's other forms stopped the original and ran towards Yumi and the mega tank. Yumi threw her fan at the opened mega tank which closed right before the fan hit. Yumi and Aelita stood ready for what it was going to do. The tank turned slightly to the right, facing Aelita fully so the blast would hit her instead of Yumi. Yumi saw this, and waited until the last moment. The tank charged up, then released its strongest blast out on Aelita. Yumi jumped and pushed Aelita out of the way, then tucked her legs under her just as the blast passed by her. She landed hard against a boulder on her back and let out a yelp of pain. Aelita ran over and picked her up, taking her behind the boulder. Aelita laid Yumi down carefully then turned to face the mega tank. Aelita put her hands together and materialized a wall to block the tank. Ulrich came behind the tank and tried to figure out how he was going to take out the tank. Meanwhile, the monster fired at the wall, trying to get it to fall. After the 3rd hit, it was starting to crack. Yumi sat up painfully and pulled out two fans. As the tank took out the wall, Yumi threw one fan to distract the tank, then threw the other to destroy it. Neither fan hit, but instead went for Ulrich. Ulrich blocked the fans then watched as the tank rolled over to where the girls were.  
  
"Hey, you big bowling ball, over here!" He called out. The tank turned to face him and opened up to shoot. Yumi jumped high and landed in front of Ulrich.  
  
"Yumi, get Aelita to the tower, I'll take care of this."  
  
"Aelita's fine. She told me to come over here. I'll distract the tank, then you finish it with your sword." Ulrich nodded.  
  
"Okay. Ready, set, go!" Yumi took off, avoided a blast from the tank, and threw a fan at it. That knocked it, but didn't do any damage. The tank charged up, and Yumi noticed it was going for Ulrich, although he didn't notice until it fired. Yumi ran in front of him and took the blast for him. Ulrich watched as Yumi devirtualized to the real world. Yumi's scanner opened up to show Yumi lying on the floor of the scanner clenching her fist.  
  
"I couldn't save him." Anger rose in Ulrich as he charged at the tank. The tank fired at Ulrich, but whenever it hit him, two more Ulrich's came out from hiding. The original stabbed at the tank, sticking it all the way in the monster's "eye". He wasn't fast enough to get away from the impact, so he just took it. Aelita ran ahead and deactivated the tower. The scanner opened up, and out fell a tired and still injured Ulrich. Yumi was waiting for him though, and caught him before he hit the floor. His head landed on her shoulder right next to her face, and she leaned over and kissed his forehead. She then went to the fixed elevator with Ulrich in her arms. She hit the button and waited for the doors to open up to the computer room. Ulrich looked up sleepily at Yumi and smirked.  
  
"That was a crazy move you pulled back there. I'm surprised you didn't come out of that scanner like me." Yumi smirked at him as the doors opened.  
  
"Well, take into consideration that you went in like this. So it was expected that you would come out like this, although I must say, I thought you would come out of that scanner a lot worse than when you went in. If any move was crazy today, it was yours." He smiled weakly at her as she walked into the computer room. Odd ran over and took Ulrich from Yumi, which finally gave Yumi a chance to rest. Jeremie, on the other hand, was typing furiously.  
  
"What's wrong Jeremie?" Yumi asked him.  
  
"I can't get the return to the past program up. Looks like this time we'll have to deal without it. At least nothing happened in the real world. We'll grab some sleep then head out and look for Ulrich's car. After that, we'll go get something to eat. How's that sound?" Everyone except Ulrich nodded. Yumi giggled at him.  
  
"Looks like Ulrich's one step ahead of us, guys." The other guys nodded, which changed into a yawn, which turned into a light snore coming from Odd.  
  
Yumigirl06: So, if anyone's interested in being my partner in crime, send me the requested notes along with your review, as stated in the paragraph at the beginning of the story.  
  
Odd: So, who do you think'll want to work with Yumigirl06 Ulrich?  
  
Ulrich: I don't know. Anyone who'd want to I guess.  
  
Odd: Sometimes I wonder about her though. She looks so familiar. I could've sworn I've been on a date with her.  
  
Ulrich: Now that you mention it, she does look a lot like that girl Kiki, from earlier.  
  
Yumi: That's because they're the same person guys.  
  
Ulrich and Odd: Oooo...  
  
Yumigirl06: Thanks Odd, I feel real loved.  
  
Yumigirl06 walks away with Odd close behind.  
  
Odd: Wait, Kiki! I didn't mean...aww man! Now what?  
  
Yumi: Go apologize to her Odd. You can only hope she'll forgive you.  
  
Odd runs as fast as possible to catch back up to her. 


	6. Premonitions of Betrayal part 1

Yumigirl06: Okay guys now that I made Odd feel bad, here's the  
  
next chapter.  
  
Odd: Kiki, please. Just...hear me out...  
  
Yumigirl06 (winks to viewers and whispers): Oh, this is gonna be  
  
good.  
  
Odd: What'd you say?  
  
Yumigirl06: Oh, I said many thanks to my new partner in crime,  
  
Angel Soleil for her excellent thinking and listening to my  
  
constant rambling all the time, oh and I don't' own Code: Lyoko,  
  
Odd. Okay, on with the story! (Whispers) and Odd's explanation...  
  
Angel Soleil: ITS LIKE AN OSCAR WINNING SPEACH! IT HAS ME IN IT! Wow... I'm an excellent thinker! EVERYONE BOW DOWN BEFORE ME! kidding... hehehe  
  
Yumi walked around the dark, misty lot, wearing a black  
  
spaghetti  
  
strap nightie and long black pants set of pj's, confused, scared,  
  
and searching for a familiar face. A cold wind picked up, chilling  
  
her to the bone. She crossed her arms, hoping to contain what  
  
little body heat she had left to keep warm.  
  
'What is this place? Why am I here? Where is everyone?' Suddenly,  
  
as if an answer to her questions, a street light came into view.  
  
It flickered on, revealing a familiar young man to her. She ran up  
  
behind him, hoping to find some answers to what this place was.  
  
"Ul-Ulrich? Is that you? What's going on? Where are we?"  
  
Ulrich  
  
just stood there, his back facing her.  
  
"Yumi, get out of here. Leave me alone. It's not like you  
  
could've  
  
ever helped me anyway." Yumi was stunned.  
  
"Wh-What? Why are you saying this?" When Ulrich turned  
  
around to  
  
face her, Yumi froze. This was not the Ulrich she knew. He had  
  
many deep ridges under his eyes, which were bloodshot and glazed,  
  
like he hadn't had sleep in months. His face looked old and grey,  
  
faded from its once handsome glory.  
  
"Ulrich..." Yumi said, reaching out to touch his face.  
  
Ulrich  
  
grabbed Yumi's wrist, twisting it away from his face, making Yumi  
  
let out a yelp of pain. She went on the defensive, kicking his  
  
legs out from under him and getting a couple of yards away from  
  
him. She turned back around to face him, but then realized he  
  
disappeared. She felt a cold hand on her shoulder. She turned  
  
around, only to be quickly bound to a chair. Ulrich turned around,  
  
his back once again facing her, and laughed menacingly.  
  
"Ulrich stop, please... you're scaring me." She said  
  
starting to  
  
tear up. Ulrich turned around, a stone cold look plastered to his  
  
face.  
  
"You should have gone away when I told you to, but now that you  
  
have chosen to disregard that request," He said, bringing the  
  
back  
  
of his hand hard to her face.  
  
"You will pay the consequences." He said repeating the  
  
gesture to  
  
the other side of her face. He leaned in closer; taking in all the  
  
silent tears she now let flow.  
  
"Xana is very unforgiving Yumi. He'll show no remorse or  
  
pity."  
  
Yumi looked up at him, tears still flowing freely.  
  
"Ulrich?" Ulrich shook his head.  
  
"No. I am now Xana, inhabiting that of your boyfriend. Each one  
  
of  
  
your friends will suffer the same fate, you're just the first."  
  
X-  
  
Ulrich snapped his fingers, and another light flickered on,  
  
revealing Odd, Jeremie, Aelita, and Odd's date from the other  
  
night, Kiki.  
  
"Leave the other girl out of this Xana! She's innocent!"  
  
X-Ulrich  
  
shook his head.  
  
"She's not as innocent as you think. She's one of your gang. At  
  
least, that what my sources say." He said pointing to himself.  
  
She  
  
knew that he meant Ulrich, but couldn't believe that he'd give  
  
away such information to their sworn enemy.  
  
"Noooo!" Yumi screamed into the darkness of the factory,  
  
waking  
  
everyone except Odd. Even Aelita was taken off guard by the  
  
scream, and appeared on the screen of the computer. Ulrich, who  
  
was right next to her, jumped up into a fighting stance, expecting  
  
an attacker in the room. He looked down to see Yumi, eyes opened  
  
wide in shock looking straight at Ulrich, petrified to her spot  
  
on the ground. Ulrich kneeled down next to her, reaching to brush  
  
the hair out of her eyes. Yumi winced when his hand touched her  
  
face, as if he were hurting her. Ulrich took notice and withdrew  
  
his hand abruptly.  
  
"Yumi? Are you okay? Did you have a nightmare?" Yumi said nothing  
  
as she picked herself up and walked out the room. Jeremie and  
  
Aelita exchanged confused glances, and a sudden noise could be  
  
coming from the other side of the room. Everyone except Yumi  
  
looked to see Odd, bent over, butt high in the air, snoring like  
  
he was in a snoring symphony. Jeremie rolled his eyes.  
  
"Great, now how are we supposed to sleep now?" Ulrich tossed him a  
  
fresh pair of earplugs.  
  
"There you go. I'm gonna go talk to Yumi. I'll...see you later..."  
  
Jeremie nodded. Ulrich walked out to the bridge to find Yumi,  
  
sitting over the edge and staring out into space. Ulrich sat down  
  
next to her, and in response, Yumi stood up. Ulrich sighed  
  
heavily, and stood back up, looking at her worriedly.  
  
"Yumi, please. I want to help you. Tell me what's wrong. Maybe  
  
there's something I can do." Yumi looked at him; pain the clear  
  
emotion in her eyes.  
  
"Ulrich, I... I saw you... you were possessed by Xana. You... tied me up...  
  
hit me... called me... worthless... Then... I saw the others... you had tied  
  
them up... including Odd's girlfriend... you said she was part of our  
  
team. You turned back to me and said you'd given Xana all of our  
  
information and started laughing... that laugh... it was... so cold, so  
  
evil..." Yumi broke down. She started crying, walking away as she  
  
did so. Ulrich followed and put a hand on her shoulder. Yumi  
  
pulled away and screamed at him.  
  
"Get away from me Ulrich! I don't want to talk right now!" Ulrich  
  
crossed his arms and scowled at her.  
  
"Fine! You don't wanna talk?! Fine!!!" He yelled to her, storming  
  
off. Jeremie sat up at the computer, talking to Aelita.  
  
"Jeremie, I want to go to Lyoko. I need to blow off some steam.  
  
Aelita, could you materialize some pillars for me when I get  
  
there?" The pink headed girl nodded her head. Jeremie sent Ulrich  
  
to the Polar region. While he was there, Yumi walked back in and  
  
fell back asleep. When Jeremie announced that, Ulrich had just  
  
destroyed the last pillar with his newest technique.  
  
"Okay Jeremie, you can send me back now. I'm ready." Jeremie typed  
  
all the necessary calculations and called for Aelita.  
  
"You wanna come too?" Aelita shook her head.  
  
"No, I... have a bad feeling. I'm gonna stay here and walk around.  
  
I'll call you if anything comes up."  
  
"Okay. I'll call you later after we get back to the dorms."  
  
"Okay." She said as the screen went blank. Meanwhile, as Ulrich  
  
felt himself become devirtualized, he felt a hand on his shoulder,  
  
and then suddenly extremely weak. He looked on as another Ulrich,  
  
who looked exactly like him, become devirtualized. Ulrich sent a  
  
distress message to Aelita. The next thing Ulrich saw was black,  
  
then the even blacker side of unconsciousness. Ulrich came out of  
  
the elevator a few minutes later, went to get his stuff, and went  
  
to sleep on the other side of Odd, who was still snoring as loud  
  
as a lion could roar. Ulrich lie on his back, staring up at the  
  
ceiling, thinking about what Yumi had screamed at him. He knew she  
  
was freaked out by it, but she still could have been a bit more  
  
considerate of his feelings. He finally gave up at let a deep  
  
sleep take him over.  
  
Jeremie woke up, rubbing his eyes and looking around, then gasped,  
  
and looked at his watch.  
  
'Oh no! We spent the night in the factory! Yumi's mom's gonna kill  
  
her!' He ran over to Yumi and gently shook her awake. Yumi grabbed  
  
Jeremie's wrist tightly, and looked to see who it was. She quickly  
  
realized that she was grappling Jeremie's wrist, then let it go.  
  
Jeremie knelt down next to her.  
  
"Your parent's are going to be so worried about you."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because it's 8 am." Yumi jumped up.  
  
"Oh no! I'm screwed!"  
  
"Not if I help you out." A voice came from behind her. Both teens  
  
whipped around to see Odd's girlfriend, Kiki, standing in the  
  
elevator doorway.  
  
"But, how-?" Yumi started.  
  
"I followed you guys last night, because I was tired of Odd always  
  
skipping out on dates." As his name was said, Odd sprung up, eyes  
  
fully open and peering towards Kiki.  
  
"Oh, hi, Kiki..." Kiki walked up to him, with an expression that  
  
said you have a lot of explaining to do. Odd sighed.  
  
"I know, I'm in trouble. Hey guys, would it be okay if I told  
  
her?" Jeremie thought about it for a moment, then called a  
  
meeting. Everyone except Ulrich joined; he was still asleep.  
  
"Okay guys, what do you think?" Odd asked, half pleading.  
  
"If we don't let her in on it, then she might tell someone.  
  
Besides, I don't think it'll hurt. She could be a valuable  
  
addition to the team." Yumi pointed out. Odd raised his fist in  
  
the air.  
  
"Yeah, score one for Odd! Jeremie?" The blonde haired boy thought  
  
about it for a minute, then nodded his head. Odd jumped up and  
  
down happily.  
  
"Yeah. I hope she'll wanna join. She seems like the type who could  
  
handle Xana no sweat." Odd walked up to Kiki and led her away  
  
towards the dorms, getting ready to tell her all the secrets of  
  
Lyoko. Ulrich stirred as Odd and Kiki were leaving. He stood up,  
  
and walked over to Yumi and Jeremie.  
  
"What's going on?"  
  
"Well, Yumi, Odd and I just added a new person to the team. Well,  
  
that is, if Odd makes it sound good. I think she'll join, but you  
  
never know." Ulrich looked at Yumi, and she did the same. Their  
  
eyes locked for a moment, then Ulrich scowled at her. She looked  
  
away, closed her eyes to hide her tears, and ran off towards  
  
school. Ulrich smiled to himself.  
  
'Good. The fun's just beginning my little Yumi...I can assure you of  
  
that..."  
  
Yumigirl06: So guys? Time to review...please. There, I asked nicely.  
  
Odd: Yeah, she asked nicely, now review.  
  
Yumigirl06: Oh yeah, we made up during the chapter. He is sooooo  
  
cute when he's vulnerable like that.  
  
Odd puts his arm around Kiki's waist.  
  
Odd: She had me going for a while. It wasn't pretty, let me tell  
  
you...  
  
Ulrich: Oh, it was pretty alright... pretty hilarious!  
  
Everyone laughs.  
  
Angel Soleil pops up out of no where and begins randomly skipping around the room, paying no mind to anyone as she sings the jello song.  
  
Angel Soleil: SEE IT WIGGLE, SEE IT JIGGLE—  
  
Yumigirl06: hmm... welll... (Thinking up explanation for the peculiar actions of the random girl) ...insomniac? 


	7. Premonitions of Betrayal part 2

Odd notices Angel Soleil, who has popped up yet again.  
  
Odd: Uhhhh... Who IS she?! Where does she keep coming from?!?!  
  
Yumigirl06: Angel Soleil.  
  
Angel Soleil begins to laugh.  
  
Odd: THE INSOMNIAC!?!?!  
  
Ulrich grabs Angel Soleil by the arm.  
  
Ulrich: Please... if Kiki is letting you write some of this... feel free to make Odd look as dumb as you want.  
  
Angel Soleil looks around in confusion. Finally smiles at Ulrich and sits down at a computer, singing the jello song again.  
  
Odd: She's writing my scene?! She's—Crazzzzyy!!!  
  
Yumigirl06: Stop whining! This is the scene between me and you, and I decided to let her write it.  
  
Angel Soleil: Don't worry Odd... I promise, there's nothing wrong with me... and I won't do anything stupid.  
  
Turns and begins to sing another song.  
  
Angel Soleil: I wish I were an Oscar Meyer Weiner... That is what I'd truly love to beeeee—  
  
Odd sinks to the floor.  
  
Odd: I'm doomed.  
  
Odd was walking through the park, Kiki at his side. The sun had not completely risen, causing a pink and blue mix in the sky.  
  
"So, were you planning to tell me what you all do in there or not?" Kiki asked in half sarcastic tone.  
  
"Oh, right." He began. "Well...It started about a year and a half ago, when we found the super computer in the factory... which leads to a computer world called Lyoko..."  
  
"Lyoko? Is it like a video game?"  
  
"Kind of. To get in, you go through something called virtualization."  
  
"Which is?"  
  
"Its sort of hard to explain, the best thing to do is just to show you that, but basically, it transfers you into Lyoko."  
  
"Okay...Why do you go there?"  
  
Odd thought for a moment. "We go there because of Xana... he activates towers in Lyoko causing weird things to happen here. So we go in and fight off the monsters that try to attack Aelita, so that she can get into the tower and set things right."  
  
"I don't remember anything weird happening... other than you bailing out of dates."  
  
"It's because we use a program to go back to right before Xana's attacks, making everyone forget what happened."  
  
She stopped and looked at him incredulously.  
  
"You go back in time?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"But you guys remember everything that happened?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Hmmm..." She sighed, pondering what he had said. He walked over to a bench, which she followed him to, sitting down beside him.  
  
"What else would you like to know?" He asked.  
  
"I think I already understand enough about this Lyoko place..." He nodded at her. "But...I still don't..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Odd... I try really hard to fit in with you guys, but I always end up getting ditched... or you all get really secretive... It just irritates me sometimes... that... well... Yumi isn't always being ditched. You guys don't keep secrets from Yumi... I just want to know why its okay for her to be involved in everything and not me. And why exactly did you tell me all of this? What? Are you just going to erase my memory again?"  
  
"No!" Odd said briskly, turning to look at her. "I'm sorry... I told you, because we want you to join our team... then there wouldn't be anymore secrets!" He added rapidly. "All it ever was, was monsters attacking and us and going to Lyoko, I promise. I wanted to tell you because I didn't like always having to be the one to leave their date behind... really I didn't, and I'm sorry that we ever made you feel left out... but... " He looked down. "Yumi has been with us all along. We didn't want to tell anyone else about Lyoko, but at the same time we needed her. Jeremie doesn't go into Lyoko... so it's just me and Ulrich without Yumi..."  
  
"Oh..."  
  
"You aren't mad are you?"  
  
"Nah... I guess I could understand that. So... would joining your team mean and end to you bailing out of dates?" He nodded quickly. "Although... we might still end up having our dates postponed every now and then...but you'd still be with us all the time, and you'd know nothing was being done without you."  
  
"Welllll—"  
  
"PLEASE???" Odd begged. She looked at him and smiled.  
  
"Alright. What's it going to hurt?" Odd began to laugh and put his arms around her in a large hug.  
  
"One thing..." She said, pulling away from him.  
  
"Yeah?" he asked.  
  
"This is kind of awkward and all... but...Are we... like... together... or am I just a casual date every now and then?"  
  
Odd stopped and looked at her again.  
  
"Well... I'll admit... before, you were a casual date every now and then because I didn't have any time for a girlfriend... but... If you're with us..." He smiled. "I'd love to have you as a girlfriend!"  
  
"YAY!" She shrieked. Throwing her arms back around his neck and kissing him on the cheek.  
  
"So, are we all settled on this matter?"  
  
She nodded her head briskly in agreement.  
  
"Good. Let's go back to the factory, Jeremie can go ahead and get started on your program for virtualization. Its really cool... each person gets their own form, with their own special weapons and abilities." He told her as they walked back through the park. "Like Ulrich, he's a samurai. He gets a sword as his weapon and abilities like speed and multiplication to go with it."  
  
"What are you?"  
  
"I'm like... like a cat and human mix, I guess you would say."  
  
"What abilities go with that?"  
  
"Foresight... and I'm really good at flipping and dodging blows since weapon wise I just have a few arrows."  
  
"It sounds cool."  
  
As they walked back over the bridge and through the factory, Odd pointed out everything she would need to know in case of emergency, from the elevator access code, to where the secret passages were.  
  
Meanwhile, Yumi sat down on a bench next to a studying Theo, crying silently so as not to disturb him. This plan soon failed as Theo looked from his math book to see who sat on the other side of the bench. He pretended to turn back to his book and study so Yumi didn't notice, but soon found that was harder than it sounded. Yumi looked at him as he turned towards her, placing a bent leg on the bench and his book on top of that.  
  
'He must think I'm crazy or something, crying like I am. Maybe I should leave him alone so I don't interrupt his studying anymore.' Yumi stood up and started walking away, but a swift hand caught her shoulder.  
  
"Hold up Yumi, I was wondering if we could talk. You seemed really bummed about something, and I was just wondering if I could help." He said turning her around to face him. Yumi looked up at him, eyes red and puffy, and hugged him.  
  
"Thank you Theo, but I'm fine." She said pulling away from him. Theo looked at her, concern covering his face.  
  
"Yumi, you know you can tell me anything. I want to help you." He told her quietly. She stood still, eyes closed as he embraced her again. He pulled away slightly, his face inching to her ever so slightly. Yumi took no notice as Theo's face came within one inch of hers. Yumi inhaled sharply when Theo's lips touched hers, a mixture of surprise and confusion evident. Ulrich walked up to the school, planning to head back to his dorm, but instead walked in on Theo and Yumi. He froze, but then got an idea. He walked right past them in clear view, and when Theo broke the kiss, Yumi saw Ulrich walking away from them. She froze, stunned that Ulrich didn't say anything but kept walking. She looked at Theo, who looked as surprised as her.  
  
"Theo, I... I have to go!" She said pulling away from him and running towards Ulrich. Theo looked on as Yumi ran towards Ulrich, rejection stomping on his heart. Yumi mentally hit herself as she caught up with him.  
  
'How could I have let Theo kiss me? Argh! I'm so stupid!' She reached Ulrich and jumped in front of him.  
  
"Ulrich please, I can explain." Ulrich just looked at her in the eyes and walked on, not wanting to give her a chance. Yumi sighed heavily and caught back up with him, once again jumping in front of him, but grabbing his shoulders, holding him in place.  
  
"Ulrich. Talk to me. Don't just ignore me. I'm trying to explain myself; I know you saw me and Theo." Ulrich help up a hand to silence her.  
  
"Listen Yumi. I know you didn't mean for it to happen, but it happened. Now I don't know what to think. Wait, I'm not done. I don't care what happened, I forgive you, but at the same time, I feel like I've been shot. I think that it would be best for both of us if we didn't see each other for a while. I need some time to think this out." Yumi went cold. This is exactly what she expected to happen, but couldn't actually believe it was happening. She felt like she had just been stabbed in the heart. She felt her stomach turn upside down and back again, sickening her to a level she never would have thought possible. She swallowed hard, then regained complexion.  
  
"You don't mean that." She said choking up, but Ulrich just shook his head.  
  
"I do mean it Yumi. I need some time to think about it." He said shaking out of her now hard grasp on his shoulders and continuing his walk towards the dorms. Yumi, crushed with what just happened, ran towards the woods, hoping to find a quiet place where she could cry her eyes out.  
  
Odd walked out of the factory, completing the tour of the passages and explanations. Jeremie had met them earlier in the control room, talking with Aelita about Ulrich and Yumi. Odd announced to Jeremie and Aelita that Kiki was now part of the team, and Jeremie agreed to start creating a character for Kiki to use in Lyoko. Now, they were walking across the bridge, the morning dew clear on the railing. They came across the railing that was broken from the battle with the crab. Odd winced as the pain of the lasers came back to his memory. He quickly erased that feeling and walked around the factory with Kiki. They came to the spot where they had met up with that wolf. It was light enough to where Odd could see if any danger was coming, but he didn't want to linger, just in case. He and Kiki walked around the woods until around 10:30, admiring the beauty nature had created. Suddenly, a low growl could be heard close by. Kiki froze, expecting something horrible to emerge from the trees, but Odd placed a comforting hand on hers, a blush creeping up to his cheeks.  
  
"It's okay Kiki. I'm a little hungry. That's the sound you heard." Kiki breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
"Oh, thank goodness. For a second there, I thought it was..."  
  
"Yumi!" Kiki looked on as Odd ran out by the lake.  
  
"No Odd, I meant to... say... oh my gosh! Odd!" She said as she saw her boyfriend grappling with a wolf, protecting a torn, but still very much alive Yumi. She was holding her left arm, apparently ripped up by the wolf. Kiki ran towards Yumi, taking off her jacket as she went. Odd continued wrestling with the wolf, getting on its back and getting it in a head lock. The two girls watched on as Odd tightened his grip on the wolf's neck, bringing it to its knees and eventually killing it. After a closer examination, Odd noticed a bit of foam at the mouth of the beast.  
  
"Oh no. Yumi, put your arm in the lake now! That wolf was rabid!" Yumi gasped and turned to face the lake, plunging her whole arm and shoulder into the icy water as she went. It stung her arm, but she didn't notice as Odd began questioning her.  
  
"Did it bite you?" She shook her head.  
  
"No, it just clawed at me. I ran from it, but it tackled me by pouncing on me." Odd sighed heavily and sat down next to them, taking Kiki's jacket from her. Yumi brought her arm out of the water, now stained with Yumi's blood.  
  
"Yumi, give me your pocket knife." She complied and gave him the knife. Odd opened it up and cut away the loose clothing in the way, which in this case, turned the long sleeve shirt into a sleeveless one. Odd then took Kiki's jacket and faced her.  
  
"Kiki, can I-?"  
  
"Do what you need to. Yumi needs it more than me." Odd nodded and dunked the whole jacket into the cold lake water. He then took it and wrapped it tightly around Yumi's upper arm. He and Kiki helped Yumi up, and proceeded to escort Yumi to the infirmary. Odd took out his cell phone and dialed Jeremie's number.  
  
"Jeremie, Yumi's been injured... No, you don't need to come, me and Kiki have it under control... Yeah, I'll call you when we get there. See ya." Odd hung up and nodded at Kiki, who turned to Yumi.  
  
"Almost there." She said as they rounded the last corner to one of the infirmary rooms. Dorothy had just opened the door to her office, then noticed the three kids walk in.  
  
"Yumi? What happened?"  
  
"I was attacked by a wolf, but Odd killed it." Dorothy gasped.  
  
"What? A wolf? Where were you three?"  
  
"I was walking by myself in the woods by the park, when I was attacked, and Odd and Kiki were walking together around the same place. They saved me just before it bit me. Odd says it was rabid, but it didn't bite." Yumi explained as the nurse wrapped her arm in gauze and tape.  
  
"You were very lucky you weren't bitten or killed. Okay, come see me once a day to change the bandage on your arm." Yumi nodded and walked to the door with Kiki and Odd in hot pursuit. When they reached the main area, Yumi turned to Odd and Kiki.  
  
"I'm gonna go walk around the school for a bit."  
  
"You want us to come with?" Kiki asked the black clad girl.  
  
"No, that's okay. I doubt I'll get attacked by any squirrels. Even if I do, I still have perfectly good arm. The other one's fine, just a bit sore."  
  
"Okay, well, if you need us, we have our phones." Odd said holding up his own silver mobile. Yumi nodded and walked away from them. Kiki turned to Odd after Yumi turned a corner.  
  
"Well, I need to go up to my room. My parents expect a letter every few days." Odd nodded, and kissed her on the cheek.  
  
"Okay, see you later." He said walking towards the factory to check up on Jeremie and Aelita. Meanwhile, Yumi walked through the corridors of the school, passing by her classes, and the lunch room. A small noise outside the lunchroom caught Yumi's attention. She stepped outside the half glass door and followed the noise to her left. She turned the corner, then froze. There, in the corner of the mini alleyway, was...  
  
Yumigirl06: Oooooo... I'm so evil! MWAHAHAHAHA! Cliffies! I love putting people on edge...  
  
Angel Soleil runs in.  
  
Angel Soleil: DUM DUM DUM!!! I KNOW WHAT HAPPENS AND YYYYOOOOUUUUU DON'T!  
  
Yumigirl06: Review, and I might post the next chappie! MWAHAHAHAHA! 


	8. Premonitions of Betrayal part 3

Yumigirl06: Hey guys. Hehehe... it's like 1:45 in the morning, and  
I'm hyped up on sugar and caffeine! Haha!!!!!!! So, because of  
that, I'm just gonna give the continuum from the last chapter. If  
you haven't read the previous chappie, do it now, other wise  
you'll miss out on the excitement of it all.  
Hehehe......Sugar!!!!!! Dr. Pepper!!!!!!!!  
  
Ulrich and Emily engaging in the biggest game of tonsil hockey the  
northeastern hemisphere had ever seen. Yumi looked on in shock as  
Ulrich and Emily ended their kissing fest. Yumi turned sharply on  
her heel and ran to the park as fast as her legs could carry her.  
Emily turned to Ulrich, confusion in her eyes. Ulrich gave her an  
apologetic smile and ran after Yumi. He finally caught up to her  
in a clearing not far from the manhole passage. He grabbed her  
shoulder and whipped her around to face him. She tried to push him  
away, but he held her firmly by the arms. He looked around for  
anyone else, then turned back to her.  
  
"Finally." He said in a sinisterly cold voice, clenching and  
raising his fist.   
  
"You're mine."  
  
Meanwhile, Odd walked into the factory just as Jeremie and Aelita  
finished the Kiki's program for Lyoko.  
  
"Hey Jeremie, how's it coming?" The blonde haired boy turned to  
the other.  
  
"Just about done. I was gonna test it out to see if it would work  
now." A smile came across Odd's face.  
  
"Okay, let's see it!"   
  
"Okay, down boy." Jeremie said as he hit the enter button to start  
it up. Aelita watched from another screen as Kiki's character came  
into view. She wore a long white skirt with a slit up the side.  
Just enough to be able to run effectively, but not enough to be  
too revealing. She had on a royal blue sleeveless shirt with a  
white vest over that. Her hair was placed behind her ears and held  
it there with an equally blue hair clip. Her feet were clad in  
white boots that came up to her mid shin. Odd just about fell to  
his knees when he saw her.  
  
"Wow. She's beautiful." Odd said dreamily. Jeremie rolled his eyes.   
  
"Yes, it works. C'mon Romeo, listen up. Her weapons consist of a  
shield that is not only light weight, but extremely strong, and  
ten daggers that can be thrown and retrieved by calling them back  
to her."  
  
"Wow, beautiful, but deadly."  
  
"Speaking of her, where's Kiki?" Aelita asked looking around  
through the computer screen.  
  
"Oh, she went to her dorm. She has to e-mail her parents."  
  
"Oh."   
  
"You think she'll be surprised?" Jeremie asked Odd, whose mouth  
dropped clear to the floor.  
  
"Are you kidding?! She's gonna be amazed."  
  
Back in the park, Yumi sailed across the grass, landing hard on  
her hurt arm. She ignored the pain, wiped away the trickle of  
blood that was starting to come from her mouth, and stared at  
Ulrich in shock.   
  
"Ulrich, what are you doing? Have you lost it, huh?" Ulrich smiled  
cruelly and walked up to her. He grabbed her good arm and picked  
her up to her feet. He didn't wait, though, and slugged her hard  
in the stomach. Yumi doubled over and fell to her knees, coughing  
as she went. Ulrich took advantage and kicked her in the back.  
Ulrich waited for her, folding his arms across his chest and  
laughing coldly. Yumi found her balance and stood up, getting into  
a fighting stance. Ulrich saw this and got into his own stance.  
Ulrich made the first move and jumped up in the air towards Yumi.  
It only took a split second for Ulrich to let fly a punch, but  
Yumi saw this and blocked with both arms. She jumped back, then  
pushed out towards him, landing a side punch to the head. This  
sent Ulrich flying into a tree head first.   
  
"Ulrich!" Yumi said running towards him. Even though he wasn't  
himself, she thought, she still loved him. Ulrich quickly  
recovered however, and countered with a well placed kick to the  
face. Once the kick was placed, Ulrich caught Yumi's leg and swung  
her around and threw her up in the air. As she dropped down,  
Ulrich readied for his favorite soccer move. He turned so his back  
was facing Yumi, then when she was in the perfect position; Ulrich  
flipped backwards and kicked her as hard as he could. She was sent  
flying into the tops of the trees. A few seconds later, Yumi's  
muffled grunts could be heard as she hit the branches, too weak to  
grab on to one. She hit the ground hard, another cry escaping her  
lips. Ulrich walked up to her, sinister looks planted all over his  
face. Yumi looked up at him weakly, tears rolling down her cheeks.  
  
"Ulrich?" Ulrich walked away, completely ignoring Yumi's faint  
calls. As he disappeared towards the school, Yumi wearily pulled  
out her cell phone and called Odd.  
  
"Yumi? What's up?"  
  
"Odd." She said weakly. Odd took notice of the tone, knowing  
immediately that something was wrong.  
  
"Where are you?"  
  
"In. in the park."  
  
"Hold on. I'll call Kiki and get her to meet you there."  
  
"Okay, but hurry. I don't know if he'll come back." Odd's eyebrows  
furrowed immediately.   
  
"Don't worry. We'll be there as soon as we can." Odd hung up with  
Yumi and called Kiki.  
  
"Hello? Oh hi Odd."  
  
"Kiki, we have an emergency. Yumi's in the park, and it sounds  
like she's hurt. Get there as soon as you can. Me and Jeremy will  
meet you there. And Kiki?"  
  
"Yeah?"   
  
"Be careful."  
  
"I will Odd." She hung up her cell, turned the computer off, and  
ran to find Yumi. Meanwhile, Yumi got up to her feet and started  
to make her way to the school. Her arm was killing her, and it  
felt like some of her ribs were broken, but she was able to make  
it halfway to the end of the woods. There, she tripped over a  
small but well placed rock and fell to her hands and knees. She  
crawled over to a nearby tree and pulled her self up clumsily. She  
looked towards the sky, as if asking it why this was happening.  
The next thing she heard was Kiki calling her name, trying to find  
her. Yumi looked to where the sound was coming from and answered  
the call.   
  
"Kiki, over here." She called out weakly. Kiki heard the faint  
voice and followed it to where Yumi stood leaning on the tree.  
Yumi saw Kiki running to her, smirked and laughed a bit, then let  
weakness bring her to her knees. Kiki caught her just as the rest  
of Yumi was falling to the ground.  
  
"Hey Yumi. How're you feeling?"  
  
"Like I was run over by a train. I think some of my ribs are  
broken, and my head is killing me." She said as Kiki wrapped one  
arm around her torso and placed Yumi's arm over her shoulder. She  
picked her up and headed to the school, using her free hand to  
call Odd.  
  
"Hey Odd, I've got Yumi. I'm heading for the infirmary... yeah, I'll  
be careful... no I don't know who did this, but I'll tell you when I   
find out... Yumi's kinda tired right now, so I'm just gonna let her  
rest for now. We'll find out all of that after she's been treated  
at the infirmary... okay, love you too... bye." She said hanging up  
her phone. She turned her attention back to Yumi, who started to  
cry silently to herself.  
  
"You okay, Yumi? Wanna tell me something?" Yumi looked at Kiki,  
then looked at the ground, tears flowing freely still.  
  
"Ulrich."   
  
"What about him?"  
  
"He... he... did...this..."  
  
"WHAT?!?!?!?!"  
  
"Yeah, I... I saw him... kissing Emily, then I ran. He followed...  
turned me around to face him... then... he attacked me." Yumi said,   
the last part falling into the wind. Yumi let out a few sobs,   
struggling to keep her composure. Kiki tried her best to comfort   
her on that, but was cut short when they reached the school   
grounds. Kiki kicked the bars of the double doors that led to the   
nurse's office and entered in, calling out the nurse as she went.   
Dorothy opened her door and peered into the hallway, and gasped at  
who Kiki was holding. Dorothy ran up to them, eyes wide in shock.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"She was mugged by some guy. She called me on her cell and I met  
her there. She said she might have broken some ribs and her head  
was hit in the attack. There are also a number of bruises all on  
her back and legs." Kiki explained as she helped Yumi to a bed.   
Yumi sat down clumsily, holding her side and groaning slightly.   
The nurse went to her supply cabinet and grabbed some black   
stretchy soft stuff and flexible tape. She also picked up some   
more gauze, peroxide, iodine scrubbing pads, ointment, and more   
restricting tape, along with some gloves and cold compresses. She   
handed the compresses to Yumi for her head, then moved to her arm.  
She put on the gloves and took off what was left of the bandage on  
her arm. Next, she took the coarse iodine pads and took hold of  
Yumi's arm.  
  
"Dear, would you help me? This will hurt for Yumi, but I need to  
do this so the infection will stay out." Kiki nodded and went over  
to Yumi, while Yumi went cold. She put two and two together and  
realized exactly what that iodine pad was for. She snapped back to  
attention when Dorothy spoke again.  
  
"Okay, now, I need you to help keep Yumi still, just in case she  
tries to move away."  
  
"Yes ma'm." She said placing one hand on Yumi's other shoulder.   
Dorothy took the pad, placed it against Yumi's wound, and started   
scrubbing hard. Yumi let out a yelp of pain and tried to move   
away, but Kiki held Yumi to her place by grabbing both shoulders   
and blocking Yumi's escape route by sitting next to her. Yumi   
gritted her teeth and looked away from her arm, hoping Dorothy   
would be done soon.  
  
"Yumi, I know it hurts, but the only way to make sure it won't get  
an infection is to make it bleed well. Don't worry, I'm almost  
done." She said as she continued scrubbing. Yumi winced and hissed  
every now and then, until Dorothy was finally done. Yumi looked at  
her arm, eyes getting wide. The wound on her arm was bleeding  
profusely, bright red with pink around the edges. Dorothy then  
took a big piece of gauze and placed it over the wound. The gauze  
almost immediately became red with Yumi's blood, and Dorothy  
quickly switched to another piece of gauze. After she told Yumi to  
hold that there, the nurse uncapped the bottle of peroxide. She  
instructed Yumi to take off the gauze, then poured the peroxide  
over the open wound. Yumi winced as the peroxide went to work,  
turning white as it killed germs. Dorothy cleaned the liquid off  
Yumi's arm and put some ointment on her arm. She then placed  
another piece of gauze over that and took out the black stretchy  
stuff.  
  
"What's that?" Asked Yumi.  
  
"It's called pre-wrap. You put it on before you tape someone up;  
other wise, the tape will take off skin when it comes off." Yumi  
mouthed an oh, and the nurse proceeded to wrap Yumi's arm in the  
pre-wrap. She then took the stretchy tape and put that over the  
pre-wrap; after that, she placed the restricting tape over that.  
  
"Okay, your arm's done. Now, for those ribs. You're going to have  
to take off your shirt so I can create a support for those ribs,  
other wise, you'll be in more pain than you are now. Yumi nodded  
and slipped her arms out of her sleeves, keeping the shirt over  
her to where it still hid what was supposed to be hidden.  
  
"You'll need to raise your arms out to the side. Not only does it  
make it easier for me to tape you up, it also will help you to  
where you can still move around quite well." Yumi nodded again and  
tried to lift her arms out to the side, but to no avail. Her  
muscles were sore and bruised from her fight with Ulrich, and it  
felt horrible to try and lift her arms. Dorothy turned to Kiki.  
  
"Will you help her, dear? Just hold her arms out to the side."  
Kiki nodded and sat behind Yumi, picking her arms up and holding  
them out to either side of her. Dorothy then went to work wrapping   
pre-wrap over Yumi's torso. She then wrapped the covered are in   
stretchy tape and finished it off with a bit of restricting tape   
at the edges and ending point of the stretchy tape. After she was   
done, Yumi was given some pain killers and told to rest. Kiki   
stood up and pulled up a chair as Yumi lay down on the bed.   
  
"Kiki, have you talked to Odd lately?"  
  
"No, I told him I'd call when you were treated here. Hold on, I'll  
do that now." She pulled out her cell phone and dialed Odd's   
number. Odd answered breathing hard.  
  
"Odd? Hey, Yumi's just been fully treated... yeah, she looks okay.  
Where are you? The park? Okay, see you in a minute." Kiki flipped  
her phone shut and turned back to Yumi.  
  
"Jeremie and Odd will be here in a few minutes. They were running  
over here after they finished hooking up the program for my Lyoko  
character."   
  
"Oh, that's what they were doing? I wonder how you'll look on  
Lyoko." Her thoughts were cut short, however, when a faint bang  
could be heard from the entrance to the office. Kiki looked out to  
see Odd and Jeremie running to the room she and Yumi were in. She  
turned to Yumi, mouthed an 'I'll be back', and stepped outside to  
talk with them. Yumi took the opportunity and rested her head on  
the pillow, closing her eyes for a minute. Outside the room, Kiki  
proceeded to tell them all that she got from Yumi, not leaving out  
anything. When she was finished, Odd and Jeremie were stunned.  
  
"But, Ulrich... he wouldn't do that... not to Yumi." Jeremie said  
quietly. Odd, on the other hand, was furious.  
  
"Why? He had no right! I can't believe he would do that to Yumi!  
C'mon Jeremie, we're going to find him." Odd said, grabbing  
Jeremie's arm and pulling him out the door. Kiki sighed heavily,  
and, rolling her eyes, went back into Yumi's room. Yumi opened her  
eyes and looked up to Kiki.  
  
"So? What'd they say?"  
  
"Odd stormed off to find Ulrich and Jeremie went with him. I think   
they're going to go confront him." Yumi rolled her eyes lazily and  
sat up slowly, draping her legs over the bed as if she was going  
to stand up.  
  
"What're you doing?" Kiki asked as Yumi tried to pull herself up.  
  
"I need to go to Lyoko. Xana might have something to do with  
this." Kiki walked over to Yumi and pushed her shoulders, making  
her sit back down.  
  
"You're not going anywhere. You have to stay here and recover.  
Besides, what if we meet Ulrich along the way? I don't think he'd  
be happy to see you."  
  
"Please Kiki, help me out. What if it were Odd? I know you'd wanna  
do the same. Please help me; I'm gonna get there somehow anyway,  
so there's no point in trying to stop me." Kiki sighed heavily and   
held out her hand to Yumi.  
  
"Fine, you win. But hurry, the nurse could come back any minute."  
Yumi smiled up at Kiki and reached for her hand. Yumi stood up,  
and, supporting herself by holding Kiki's shoulder, walked as fast  
as she could out the infirmary. At the park, Odd and Jeremie  
continued their search for Ulrich. They found him fairly quickly,  
spotting him at a small stream. Odd walked up behind Ulrich and  
whipped him around.  
  
"What's your deal, man? Why'd you put Yumi in the infirmary?  
What'd she do to you?" Odd practically yelled at him. Ulrich said  
nothing, but punched Odd in the face. Odd fell back a few feet,  
bumping into Jeremie as he went. Odd went serious then, putting  
himself into a fighting position in front of Jeremie.  
  
"Jeremie, go to the factory. I have a feeling Xana has something  
to do with this." Jeremie nodded and started running for the  
passage farther in the park.  
  
"You wanna talk about this Ulrich?" Ulrich waited a minute, went   
into a fighting stance, then jumped for Odd.  
  
"So, you wanna talk with your fists, huh? Fine by me." Odd said as   
he placed a punch to Ulrich's chin. Yumi and Kiki continued their   
trek to the factory, using the boiler room passage and elevator to  
reach the control room. As they got there, Jeremie walked in from  
the factory's boiler room.  
  
"Yumi? But, you're supposed to be-."  
  
"I know, but I need to go to Lyoko. I have a bad feeling about all  
this. Send me there Jeremie."  
  
"I'm going too, just in case something happens." Jeremie nodded  
slowly and started setting up the transfer program. He contacted  
Aelita, then waited for the girls to get in a scanner. Kiki helped  
Yumi into a scanner before moving to another scanner.  
  
"Okay girls, I'm sending you to the Forest area. Transfer Yumi.  
Transfer Kiki. Scanner Yumi. Scanner Kiki. Virtualization!" He  
said as the scanners did their work. They virtualized next to  
Aelita, who was standing there waiting. Yumi landed on her feet  
solidly while Kiki landed on her hands and knees. Yumi helped Kiki  
up and looked at her new look. Yumi smiled and called up to  
Jeremie.  
  
"Nice work on her look Jeremie. I'm loving the daggers."  
  
"It wasn't just me, Aelita helped too. She designed the outfit and  
did the advanced detail; I just did the weapons and basic looks."   
  
"Well, either way, it's great." Kiki thanked them both and Yumi  
turned to Aelita.  
  
"Has anything strange been happening lately?"  
  
"Well, I saw a tower that wasn't deactivated, but it wasn't  
activated either. It had a weird glow to it. C'mon, I'll show  
you." She said making her way towards the tower. Yumi and Kiki  
followed closely, looking out for monsters, weapons ready. When  
they reached the tower, the two warriors could see just what she  
went by it having a weird glow.  
  
"Stay out here, just in case. If it's safe, then I'll find out  
what's wrong." Aelita said entering the tower. Kiki and Yumi  
looked at each other, then got an idea.   
  
"Yumi, wanna spar?"  
  
"Took the words right out of my mouth." She said holding her fan  
up. Kiki shook her head and took all her daggers and laid them on  
the ground by a tree.  
  
"No weapons. Just you and me." Yumi raised an eyebrow and set her  
fans down next to Kiki's daggers. As they both went into their  
respective stances, a scream suddenly came from the tower.  
  
"Yumi! Quickly!" Yumi and Kiki looked at each other, grabbed their  
weapons and rushed into the tower, weapons out and ready to fly.  
Aelita called them from the platform above them.  
  
"There are no monsters, but there is something just as important.  
Stand in the middle of the platform. Yumi, use your telekinesis."  
Kiki and Yumi sighed heavily and walked up to the platform's  
center. Yumi concentrated hard, and a red aura surrounded both her  
and Kiki. Yumi lifted them up to the next platform, and once up  
there, Yumi sat down, tired from her telekinesis.  
  
"Yumi, what I'm about to play might confuse you. Believe me, it  
certainly confused me. Jeremie, you listen to this too. It's a  
weird sound wave from an unknown origin." Aelita said as she  
played the clip. What the others saw next had them in shock. It  
was Ulrich, only, he wasn't the same. He looked beaten and  
bruised, as well as chained up with his sword taken away from him.  
He looked towards them, pain showing through his blue eyes.  
  
"Jeremie, Yumi, Odd, Aelita, anyone, please... help me... Xana  
kidnapped me... and took me to this weird place. It... doesn't look  
like Lyoko or Earth; it's dark. I think this might be... where Xana  
might live. Please, hurry... Xana made a copy of me... put himself in  
it, and sent it to Earth. Don't go near it. Jeremie... I trust  
you'll find this quickly so you can start planning. Tell Odd I'm  
sorry... if the fake me tells him off. Aelita, keep everyone calm.  
And Yumi..." He said, a single tear falling from his face.  
  
"Tell her I love her and I have faith in her. I'll. I'll be  
waiting for everyone." He said as the transmission ended. Yumi sat  
there, staring at where the screen had once been. Kiki held out  
her hand to Yumi, she took it, and exited the tower. Aelita looked  
back at the tower, which was back to its normal aura of blue.  
  
"I have to get to Odd. He's in danger." Kiki said to Yumi and   
Aelita. Yumi shook her head.  
  
"No, I'll get him. I want you to stay here and help Aelita find  
this place Xana's holding Ulrich. I'll be okay, don't worry. I've  
been in worse shape than this before. Jeremie, materialize me."  
  
"Okay. Code: Earth. Recipient, Yumi." He said as he started the   
materialization program. A few seconds later, Yumi appeared in the  
scanner, still pretty weak from earlier, but strong enough to be  
able to run now. She took off for the elevator, passing the   
control room and taking the passage to the park. Meanwhile, Odd   
landed another punch to Ulrich, sending him into a tree. Ulrich   
got back up and returned the punch, adding a swift kick to Odd's   
stomach. Yumi made it just in time to see Odd get picked up by the  
neck. Yumi took some sand and a thick tree limb and ran to him.  
She threw the sand in his eyes and hit the back of his head with  
the limb. Ulrich cried out and fell to his hands and knees, trying  
to wipe the sand out. She then ran to Odd, helped him up, and ran  
to the school. Odd followed closely behind, and Ulrich followed  
them, rubbing his eyes, trying to get the sand out. When he did,  
he saw Yumi and Odd run to the science building, heading for the  
stairs to the roof. When the two teens made it to the roof, they  
stood on either side of the door. The ledge was about four feet in  
front of them, and Yumi got an idea.  
  
"Odd, when he comes out, hold your foot out and trip him."  
  
"What!?"   
  
"Just do it, trust me." She said just as Ulrich entered the  
doorway of the roof.  
  
"Now!" She said putting her foot in Ulrich's way. Odd did the same  
just as Ulrich stepped out, his foot catching Ulrich's. Ulrich  
struggled to keep his balance, but fell off the side of the roof.  
Yumi and Odd breathed a sigh of relief and sat down where they  
were.   
  
"It's okay Odd. That wasn't Ulrich. It was Xana. The real Ulrich  
is being held in another world parallel to both Earth and Lyoko.  
We have to get back to Lyoko."  
  
"Wait, I hear something." Odd said as he took a rope that was  
lying to the side of him. He looked over the edge of the building  
where X-Ulrich had fallen, and let out a gasp as X-Ulrich jumped  
for Odd. He apparently had held onto a ledge and pulled himself  
back up. Odd tossed the end of the rope to Yumi.  
  
"C'mon Yumi. I have an idea. Follow my lead." He said looping a  
piece of it around X-Ulrich's arm. Odd pulled hard, sending X-  
Ulrich to the ground. Yumi went behind him and looped her end   
around him, tying him up. Odd took care of the hands and feet as   
Yumi tied his upper arms and knees. After they accomplished that,   
they ran down the stairs, heading for the factory. X-Ulrich,   
however, didn't like that idea and used his supernatural strength   
to break his bonds. He stood up, fire in his eyes, and went to   
follow them.  
  
Yumigirl06: Okay, guys, there's your relief, but wait, what's  
this? What's X-Ulrich gonna do? Will he find them? Well, I'd tell  
you, but what would be the fun in that? There's still plenty more  
chapters to come, but the only way to see them is to review. So,  
review, and I'll give you the next chappie!  
  
Odd: Why?! Why must you do this to them? What'd they do to you,  
Kiki?  
  
Yumigirl06: Why? Because I can! Mwahahaha! Plus, it adds to the  
quality of the story. In my opinion, people who are sent to the  
edge, held there for a while, then pulled back enjoy the stories  
more. That's the way I am.   
  
Odd: Still, you're evil.  
  
Yumigirl06: I know... but you still love me!  
  
Ulrich: Hey, I haven't seen Angel Soleil in a while. You seen her?  
  
Yumigirl06:...umm...  
  
At the mention of her name, the normally spastic teenager appears, leaning against a doorframe... in a much calmer manner.  
  
Angel Soleil: Why do you care?  
  
Ulrich: Why are you in a bad mood?  
  
Angel Soleil: Because the blonde one is still staring at me like I'm a goat!  
  
She points at Odd angrily, who turns the other way quickly, turning bright red in the face.  
  
Ulrich: That's all?  
  
Angel Soleil: No. I'm holding a grudge against him...   
  
Ulrich: Why?  
  
Angel: Because he claimed that I was Xana's newest plan to destroy the world and didn't try to help me when the evil filing cabinets attacked me!!  
  
Everyone turns to Odd, who gets redder.  
  
Odd: Well... Kiki didn't say she wasn't....  
  
Angel Soleil: EEEEEEEERRRRRRGGGGG!!  
  
Angel begins to chase Odd in circles around the room with one of Yumigirl06's baseball bats.  
  
Ulrich: You really know how to bring out the bad part of girls Odd.


	9. The Dark side of Lyoko

Yumigirl06: Yeah... umm... here's the next chappie... I don't own Code: Lyoko, yada yada yada, so yeah...

Odd: You okay? You seem... I dunno... different.

Yumigirl06: Yeah, umm... just kinda sore... I've been starting band again... I'm marching this year... whoo-hoo!

Ulrich: Think you'll be too tired to finish this story?

Yumigirl06: Uhh... heck no... I'm just... sleepy...

Angel Soleil runs in and jumps on Kiki.

Angel Soleil: Can I borrow Odd, Kiki?? PPPLLLEEEAASSSEEE!!!!!!

Odd: WHAT!?!?!

Kiki jumps awake.

Yumigirl06: Uhh... sure I guess.

Angel Soleil grabs Odd's arm and starts pulling him off the screen.

Odd: Wait! Kiki!

Yumigirl06 smiles to him and waves her hand as Angel pulls him away.

Yumigirl06: It's ok Odd... it'll be ok... I hope... ok, on with the story!

"C'mon Odd, we have to hurry." Yumi said as she ran, hand clamped around Odd's wrist, dragging him across the rotunda of the school.

"I'm sorry Yumi, but it's hard to after fighting Ulrich. I know you did, but you had time to recover." He panted as they reached the forest. X-Ulrich ran around the rotunda, looking for signs of his quarry. He walked through the park, listening intently for any noises. Yumi was able to see him from the safety of a tree. Odd was on the other side of the tree looking up at Yumi for her signal. X-Ulrich turned his back to them, and Yumi waved her hand towards Odd. The blonde boy nodded and picked up a rock he had seen earlier. He aimed it at a tree 20 yards away and threw, being careful not to draw attention to himself in the process. As the rock hit the tree, X-Ulrich's head snapped in that direction. He ran over to the area, and Yumi jumped out of the tree. Odd helped her up and they took off running for the passage. Along the way, Yumi stepped on a twig, snapping it. X-Ulrich heard this and turned back around. He took off for the origin of the sound while Yumi and Odd raced for the manhole. Odd made it there first and opened the cover. Yumi quickly looked around for anyone.

"No one's here, but hurry! Xana's gonna be here any minute!" Odd jumped down into it, grabbing one of the bars, leaving just enough space for Yumi to get down and close the cover. She half jumped down into the manhole, quickly covering it back up. Just as she did, X-Ulrich ran into the area. He ran straight to the manhole, but just stood over it. Yumi and Odd stayed still, not wanting to give him any reason to catch them. X0Ulrich stood there, looking around, not realizing his targets were right beneath him. Odd and Yumi could barely breathe as they watched through the holes the actions of X-Ulrich. After what seemed like a lifetime, X-Ulrich ran back towards the school. Yumi and Odd silently sighed to themselves and continued down the ladder to the skateboards. There was no talking as the two teens made their way to the elevator. Jeremie glanced over his computer to see Yumi walking to the computer, and Odd staying behind by the elevator.

"How's it going Jeremie?"

"Actually, pretty good. Aelita and Kiki found the door. It wasn't easy, but now that we found it, we need you guys to go in and help them just in case."

"Right." They both said as they got back in the elevator. Odd pushed the button again, and was lowered down to the scanner room along with Yumi. Once in the scanners, the teens waited for the program transfer from Jeremie.

X-Ulrich ran into the school's science lab, looking for his usual entrance and exit route. He finally spotted it next to the old utility closet.

'Ah, here we go... perfect.' He thought smugly to himself as he materialized himself into his vapor form He entered the outlet and headed for the place he knew they'd end up. Just as Yumi stepped into the scanner, Xana's evil vapor entered from a free outlet. He "saw" Yumi enter the scanner, then right before the door closed, entered into the scanner, allowing Yumi to inhale Xana's fumes. The last thing she could remember was Jeremie going through the transfer sequence.

"Transfer Odd. Transfer Yumi. Scanner Odd. Scanner Yumi. Virtualization!"

"Ergg... XANA!!!" Ulrich shouted into the darkness, pulling the chains that held him.

"Gah! What's the use? I can't break out... Odd... Jeremie... Aelita... YUMI!!!" He shouted, yanking at the chains in anger.

"I... couldn't help them..." He said hanging his head low and leaning over, letting the chains hold him up.

"I'm sorry... huh? Woah!" He said as the chains disappeared. Ulrich stumbled forward, trying to catch his balance. He stood straight, went to get his sword, then ran out of the chamber as fast as he could, looking for any sign of his friends. Odd and Yumi landed in Lyoko, and after a bit of a running warm up, met up with Aelita and Kiki. Kiki ran up to Odd and threw her arms around him, kissing him on the cheek.

"Umm... Kiki... not now" He said quietly, pointing to Yumi's depressed look. Kiki walked up to Yumi and hugged her.

"Hey, it's okay. We're gonna get him back."

"Yeah." Was all she said as she broke the hug and walked over to Aelita.

"This is the door?"

"Yeah. We need to hurry."

"Well, let's go." She said, void of emotion, and walked through the door. Aelita turned to Odd and Kiki with a confused look, and in return, received an 'I don't know' look, shrugged, and followed Yumi's action. Kiki shivered upon walking into the dark place.

"This place gives me the chills."

Odd stayed close to the girls, surveying the surrounding area. It looked as if the sun had not shined in this place for hundreds of years. Charred and burnt trees stood on either side of them, and the ground was riddled with ash and burnt grass. There was no life except the four people who had just entered. The air smelled of sulfur, and the wind that blew chilled everyone there to the bone.

"Jeremie, is he here?" Aelita asked, a quiet fear to her voice.

"Yes. Don't be surprised if you can't reach me here. I can still hear you, so if you need anything, call and I'll try to get it."

"Okay." They continued walking for a few more minutes, silence between them. Eventually, they came to a fork in the road; one going left, the other going right. Yumi faced the path on the right.

"Let's go this way." She said sprinting off. Odd, Aelita, and Kiki looked at each other, then took off in pursuit.

Ulrich ran on, never turning, always running forward, slicing down obstacles along the way.

'I have to find them. Who knows what Xana is planning...'

The four kids ran on, Yumi turning every now and then. She ran into a clearing of the burnt forest, panting hard. A minute later, the others caught up to her, panting just as hard.

"Yumi, wait... let's... take a break... for a minute." Odd said between gasps. Yumi nodded her head slowly and clumsily sat down. Everyone soon followed suit, one by one sitting down in their own slow way.

"So, does anyone know where we are?" Kiki asked as she looked around, taking in the scenery that was before her.

"This place..." Aelita said, breaking the small silence. Everyone except Yumi turned to face her, confused looks on their faces.

"It's..."

"Creepy?"

"Dark?"

"Smelly?"

"No, this place is known as the Dark Side of Lyoko. I never really thought I'd have to go in here."

"Why not?" Odd asked slowly.

"I read in the old files that this place was once populated by the thieves and criminals of Lyoko, before Xana showed up. Once he reared his ugly head, the inhabitants of Lyoko disappeared one by one. The cause of all this was Xana and his band of criminals. Once he had thought he had deleted all of us, he turned on his followers, scared of an uprising against him. Once he did that, he started taking over towers, not realizing that I would deactivate them. Once he realized he wasn't alone, he started coming after me. Then I met you guys..."

"And the rest is history." Odd finished.

"So, exactly what is this place again?" Kiki asked the pink haired girl.

"It's now Xana's home." Odd and Kiki gasped, while Yumi looked at Aelita, her eyes narrowing slightly. A crack from a limb was heard, sending everyone to their feet. Odd jumped in front of Aelita and Kiki, who was next to Aelita. Yumi had stood up slower, taking out her fan and readying herself for who or what entered into the clearing. As the shadowed figure wade it's way, it noticed the ones in front of him, and readied his weapon. Odd took aim, Yumi readied her fan, and Kiki unsheathed some daggers from her belt between her fingers in both hands. All was quiet, then Yumi cut into it like a knife.

"Hiya!" Was the sharp cry as she let fly her fan. Kiki followed suit with a spin move releasing her daggers, and Odd finished with his laser arrows. The shadowed figure watched as the fan, daggers and arrows came at them, then countered. He sliced at the fan, knocked down the daggers and dodged the arrows, all in one graceful movement. He then jumped into the clearing, aiming for the one that threw the fan. Yumi watched as he came toward her, as if saying silently, 'Hit me.' Kiki saw this, and held her hands out to her daggers.

"Daggers, vi!" At her command, the daggers shook back and forth, levitated to her hands level, then shot back at her, the handle facing her. Odd shot a couple more arrows at the shadowed person and turned to Kiki.

"Huh? Vi?" Kiki turned to face the figure and answered Odd.

"I'll tell you later." She shot the daggers at the attacker. He saw them, and was able to dodge all except one, which hit him in the shoulder. That interrupted his momentum and sent him to the ground next to Yumi. Everyone gasped when the faint light shown upon him.

"Ulrich!" All except Yumi exclaimed. Ulrich stood up, holding his left arm.

"Guys? Yumi? But, I thought you all were..."

"So did we." Yumi replied quickly. Ulrich walked up to her and pulled her into a hug.

"Yumi, I missed you so much. I thought I would never see you again." Yumi kept her arms at her sides, letting Ulrich hug her, but not returning any of the affection. Ulrich noticed this, and pulled away.

"Yumi? Are you okay? You don't seem like yourself." Yumi stepped back a few feet, and smiled slightly. She reached at her side and pulled out 2 more fans.

"You're right." She said, opening them with one swift flick of the wrists, her voice changing to sound like two people talking at the same time.

"I'm not." Everyone gasped as Yumi landed a kick to Ulrich's stomach, sending him flying back into a tree. She then turned towards Odd and the girls. Odd readied his arrows, pointing his fist at Yumi.

"Yumi, don't make me use these." Yumi smiled as she started running towards them.

"You won't have to." She said as she hit Odd with both fans. Odd grunted as he felt himself being devirtualized. Kiki jumped in front of Aelita and readied the last of her daggers. Yumi's smile went into a serious frown as she caught the fans and raced for Kiki. Ulrich regained his breath, saw what was about to happen and ran towards the girls. Yumi kicked the daggers out of Kiki's hands and held an unsheathed fan under Kiki's neck.

"Say goodbye." Kiki closed her eyes and Aelita readied a scream. The only scream though, came from Yumi. She fell to the ground, her fans dropping at her sides, and revealed one Ulrich, his sword's handle facing them.

"I knocked her out. Before I got kicked, I saw a flash of red in her eyes. She's being controlled by Xana."


	10. Is This It?

Yumigirl06: Have fun Odd?

Odd walks in slowly.

Ulrich: Dude, what did she do?

Odd: She... she... she made me eat...

Yumi: Spit it out already!

Odd: Cabbage...

Everyone cringes.

Yumigirl06: A fate worse than death... the dreaded cabbage...

Yumigirl06 turns and cues the band.

Band: DUN DUN DUN!!!!!

Jeremie: So, what's happening in this next chapter Yumigirl?

Kiki: Well, that's the thing... I can't tell you!

Jeremie: What? Why not?

Ulrich points downward, shaking his head.

Ulrich: Cause it's right below the talking we're doing now... and I thought you were a genius...

Yumi: Well... sorry about this Ulrich, but he does still make better grades than you...

Odd, Jeremie, Yumigirl: Ooooooo........

Odd (to Kiki): I don't know what hurts more, Yumi's comment or my stomach...

Ulrich walks off screen with his head hung low, followed by Yumi, who now feels stupid.

Yumigirl06: Well... that was... yeah... while I go find out what happens via spy gadgets, hehehe, you read this chapter. This is the last one, sadly, but there's hope, for there will be a sequel!!! Whoo-hoo!!! It will be called Aftermath... that's all I'm giving you... cuz I'm evil...

Band: DUN DUN DUN!!!!!

Yumigirl06: I didn't cue you guys...

"Go. Now! I'll find a way to get her back." Ulrich said pointing back to the way they came. Kiki shook her head.

"No Ulrich, what if you need help? I mean, this is Xana we're talking about, right?" Ulrich nodded.

"True, but if I can get them separated, then me and Yumi can handle him. Jeremie?" He said calling out the blonde's name.

"He can hear you but he can't answer. Tell him what you want, then he'll try and do it." Kiki told him.

"Ok. Jeremie? This is Ulrich. I need you to see if there's a program for separating Yumi and Xana. And I need it as soon as you can possibly get it." He said, looking down to see X-Yumi start to stir.

"Go!" He said pushing them out of the way. Ulrich put himself between the girls and X-Yumi. She stood up groggily, grabbed her fans and jumped back a few feet, facing Ulrich.

"Get out of her Xana!" Ulrich shouted as he readied his sword. X-Yumi unsheathed the fans and went into a fighting stance.

"Never." Ulrich jumped up, engaging the fight. Jeremie typed away furiously on his computer, looking for the program that will separate Xana and Yumi. Odd walked up behind Jeremie and leaned over to watch the screen.

"Whatcha doing Einstein?"

"Yumi's being controlled by Xana."

"Yeah, I noticed." He said sarcastically. Jeremie ignored it as he continued to type quickly.

"I'm going to start running the program to separate them as soon as I can find it." Odd nodded and fell silent as Jeremie continued his work. Kiki and Aelita ran as fast as they could, trying to reach the entrance.

"Errgg... I hate running away from fights... especially the ones that have my friends in them." Kiki stopped, with Aelita soon following. Kiki looked back, fists clenched and teeth gritted. Aelita placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay. Ulrich knows what he's doing. To him, this another training session here. He'll get Yumi back, then they'll be safe and sound with us again." Kiki hung her head low.

"I know, but I feel helpless Aelita. I haven't really done anything to help the group."

"Don't even start that Kiki. You know full well you've done a lot to help us. Now let's get going. We'll get out of here, then after this' done, we'll have a sparring match. Jeremie uploaded some weapons for me." She said with a smile on her face. Kiki nodded slowly and started to run towards the exit, Aelita following suit. Ulrich came down hard with his sword, slashing as he went. X-Yumi dodged the blow, and let fly one of her fans. Ulrich blocked the fan with the sword and jumped back a few feet. X-Yumi ran towards him, picking up her fan, then, at the last second, jumped behind him. Ulrich turned around, but wasn't fast enough as a swift kick to the face sent him flying several feet. Right before he hit the ground, he put his hand down to the dirt, flipping himself back up to the right position. He brought his sword back, acting like a javelin, and threw it.

"Shooting Sword!" He yelled as let it fly. X-Yumi tried to jump out of the way, but it caught her in the leg. She let out a scream that would've made even Sissy want to stop hurting her. She grunted, pulled out the sword, let the digital program close the hole, then stood up. Her eyes flashed blood red as she ran up to him. She threw one of her fans at him, then the other, hoping to catch him off guard. He just barely managed to evade them, and ran to meet X-Yumi, both of them having no weapons. They met each other with a flurry of punches and kicks.

"Almost done." Jeremie said as he found up the program and set it up.

"Hurry up; I don't know how much longer Ulrich can last." Odd said, his adrenaline level rising quickly.

Ulrich blocked most all of X-Yumi's punches, sending roundhouse kicks, dragon punches and, his personal favorite, the tricycle kick (that's it, right?). X-Yumi was pushed back several feet from each move, but soon caught on and started mimicking him. This caught him off guard and he paid the price with a roundhouse kick to the face. Ulrich hit the ground hard coughing and spat out blood. He wiped his mouth, stood back up, and countered her attack, but to no avail. X-Yumi sent a punch to the stomach and an energized kick to his side that sent him back to the ground. X-Yumi walked over and picked up one of her fans and his sword. She walked back over to him, getting ready to finish him off. Ulrich tried to sit up, but was greeted by an enormous amount of pain that sent him back to the ground coughing and holding his side.

"JEREMIE!!!!" Ulrich shouted out as X-Yumi brought her attack down on Ulrich. Jeremie watched on as the program loaded to 100%, then quickly pressed the enter button.

"It's running!" Jeremie said, with Odd grasping the chair in a death lock. Kiki whipped around quickly, stopping dead in her tracks. They had just reached the entrance to the parallel world and could hear Jeremie saying he started the program.

"I heard Ulrich's scream." Kiki said quietly. Aelita stopped and lifted her head up to the sky.

"Jeremie? What's going on?"

"Ulrich... he's..." Kiki held her head low, knees giving out and falling to the ground on them, expecting the worst. What Jeremie saw next on the monitor made him gasp.

"He's alive! The program worked!" Kiki held her head back up as Aelita's laughing and cheering became the dominant emotion there. Ulrich opened his eyes to find X-Yumi holding her head and stumbling around the clearing. Yumi's eyes became their normal state and she was lifted into the air, ash and dirt flying up. Her body fell limp as a swirling light enveloped her. Ulrich stood up painfully, still holding his side and ran up to the light just as it receded. Yumi floated down gently, eyes closed and unconscious. Ulrich ran up to her catching her before she hit the ground. He went to one knee, letting her legs rest on the ground and him holding her head in the crook of his arm. He used his other arm to gently wipe away some of the ash and dirt from her face. Her eyes fluttered open slowly, sending a loving smile to Ulrich's face. Yumi looked up at him, confusion in her eyes.

"Ulrich? Is that really you?" Ulrich nodded, and Yumi pulled him into a tight embrace. He broke it after a minute and slowly helped her up to her feet.

"You were being controlled by-" He said as a laser's hit separated him from Yumi. Yumi pulled her fan out and held it up, ready to fight. She looked over to where the laser had come from and gasped. There, standing in all his evil glory, was Xana himself. He wore a tight white muscle shirt that had the red Xana symbol with a black denim jacket over that. His pants were dark blue, loose fitting jeans, with black shoes. In his right hand he held a powerful gun specially designed for him, and on his left arm was a gauntlet that extended to a shield on his command. His short black hair was spiked up in all different directions and his eyes were a blood red. His voice was deep and his words harshly said. If it had been anyone else, they would have run in fear of their lives, but Yumi stood her ground. She stood in front of Ulrich as he got back up, holding his shoulder. Ulrich bent down and picked up his sword, moving next to Yumi.

"Give up now Xana, or else." Yumi threatened. Xana laughed.

"Why should I give up now? I have you two right where I want you. I have the most powerful fighter and the brains of the group here in my presence."

"Oh, we should feel so special." Ulrich said scowling.

"But you should... to see the most powerful being in Lyoko and then be defeated for good by him... that's an honor." He said holding up a small floppy disk. With a wave of his hand, he summoned a memory device. He placed the floppy in there, then, with a wave of his hand, sent the device away. The screen on Jeremie's computer flashed a warning sign.

"Oh no! Xana's created a program to stop the devirtualizing process!" Odd, Kiki, and Aelita gasped.

"So, if Xana defeats Ulrich or Yumi in there..." Kiki started.

"They'll be gone for good." Odd finished for her, then sighed.

"Well, we'll just have to trust in their abilities and resourcefulness." Xana smirked as he noticed the shocked looks on both Ulrich and Yumi's face. That was soon replaced, however, by looks of determination.

"You thinking what I'm thinking Yumi?" Yumi smirked and nodded, not taking her eyes off Xana.

"Odd's favorite formation?" Ulrich nodded.

"It's 'Yoo-hoo it's us' time." Yumi nodded and took off to the right while Ulrich hit a hard left. Xana lifted up his gun at Ulrich while summoning his shield on the other side to fend off Yumi. Ulrich hit a sharp right, going straight at Xana. Xana fired off shots at Ulrich, who blocked and dodged them. Yumi followed up with running behind him and hitting him with one of her fans. She kept running past him, picking up her fans as she went. Xana grunted as he stepped forward, the fan's blow pushing him. His shield, in effect, fell down a bit and his gun fired away from Ulrich at the ground. Ulrich jumped up in the air and shouted as he brought his blade down.

"Triplicate!" Suddenly, it was three Ulrich's hitting Xana, each one having the full power of his sword behind him. Yumi opened her fans and let them fly. Just as the three samurai's cleared the way, Yumi's fans contacted with Xana's chest. Xana let out a cry as he hit the ground hard, dazed. Ulrich fused, ran up to a weak Yumi and wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her up, keeping her from falling to the ground. He then turned around and started running towards the exit, a plan formulating in his mind. Jeremie whistled and leaned back in his chair.

"What?" Odd asked as he saw the blonde relax.

"Ulrich and Yumi. They've stalled Xana. Ulrich's got Yumi and running to the exit." Kiki let out a sigh of relief, sitting down on a nearby boulder.

"Jeremie." Ulrich's voice came over the intercom.

"I know I can't hear you but listen to my plan. Tell Aelita that when Yumi and I get out of here to destroy the world. It should work just like it did the other time we were in that other parallel world. We're almost halfway there, so tell her to get ready." Jeremie nodded and told the girls.

"Okay, it should work. And when the parallel world gets destroyed..."

"Xana should be too." Kiki finished, jumping off the boulder. Aelita nodded.

"Precisely." Ulrich ran on, cutting down trees as he went. Yumi was halfway unconscious, too tired from being controlled by Xana to stand. Her head fell against his shoulder, a slight smile forming on her lips. Ulrich smiled at that, but it was soon to be replaced by a look of slight fear. A scream came from where the fight had taken place... a very irritated and upset voice.

"Xana noticed we're gone. Great!" He said speeding up the pace. Xana stood up, rage filling every part of him. He held onto his sides and stumbled to a nearby tree, letting that hold him up.

"How could this happen? They weren't very powerful, yet they were able to bring me to my knees. I have to make sure the job is finished next time." He said as he changed into his gas form and exited the world. Ulrich could see a bright light as he was running, signaling the door to the world. He cut the last few trees in his way down and ran for all he was worth through the door. He hit the brakes hard, coming to a complete stop within a few seconds.

"Now Aelita!" He yelled as Aelita closed the door. She folded her hands and went to her knees, attempting to destroy the door. Kiki walked up to Ulrich and took Yumi from him, letting him lie on the ground on his back, more tired than he had ever been in his entire life. He gathered up enough strength to sit up and watch Aelita destroy the door. As she hummed to herself, everyone else watched as the door stayed together. Aelita stopped humming and stood up.

"So, is it gonna work?" Kiki asked, puzzled and worried. As if an answer to her question, the door's frame began to crack, soon followed by the door itself cracking and crumbling. A low rumble could be heard and Aelita turned to the others, getting on her stomach and covering her neck with her hands.

"Get down!" She yelled as the door exploded before them. Ulrich turned over on his stomach and held his hands over his neck. Kiki dropped with Yumi, covering her neck with one arm and her own with the other. Pieces of the door flew everywhere, hitting the young warriors legs and backs every now and then. When the dust settled, Aelita looked back at the door, or what was left of it. A black mark now occupied what had once been the giant door. Ulrich sat up once again and smiled weakly.

"It's... finally... over..." Kiki sat up and turned a still unconscious Yumi over on her back.

"Good work guys." Said Odd over the intercom. Jeremie entered the antivirus for the one Xana put in earlier and smiled.

"Okay guys. Ready to come back to Earth?" Everyone on Lyoko that was conscious happily said yes, and typed in the code. One by one, all that had been on Lyoko returned safely to Earth. Yumi came out last, awake with opened eyes, but immediately after stepping out became extremely weak and fell to the ground. Odd caught her and carried her to the control room, Kiki following holding up Ulrich, and Aelita ending the caravan. She pressed the button that took them to the room, meeting Jeremie there. He walked in, hugged Aelita, and pressed the button to take them up to the surface. When they reached the dorms, Kiki took Ulrich to his room and Odd carried Yumi to Kiki's room, lying her down on the spare bed there. Odd then met Kiki in the hallway and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"You were awesome back there. Don't you dare think otherwise." He told her softly as he pulled away slightly. He raised her chin so she was looking at him, then leaned in slowly. Her eyes closed as he got closer and his lips brushed hers. He opened his eyes slightly and smiled as he pulled away. She opened her eyes halfway, feeling nothing but pure ecstasy. She closed her eyes as he moved in again, this time capturing her lips with his; pouring all the love he had for her into the kiss. She moaned lightly as he continued to deepen the kiss, snaking her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, pulling the two closer still. Jeremie and Aelita came out of his room then, and froze when they saw what was going on. They looked at each other and blushed, then went downstairs, leaving the two lovebirds alone. The two teens broke apart a few minutes later, breathless and flushed.

"I think I'm gonna go catch a few Z's before I go to dinner. I'll call you when I'm heading out." Kiki said quietly to him, both still holding onto each other. Odd nodded lightly and smiled.

"Okay." He said before pulling her into another soft kiss. They broke apart a minute later, and Odd walked her to her room. She opened her door and turned around to him.

"See you later."

"Yeah." He said smiling as he watched her door close. He turned around and walked back into his room, smiling and thinking of Kiki. When he entered, he found Ulrich sitting up in his bed, one leg bent up with the other under that, and smiling at him.

"Say bye to Kiki?" Odd smirked and blushed, putting one hand behind his head.

"You could say that..."

Yumigirl06: Whoo-hoo!!!! It's done!!! Review please, and tell me what you think of the final chapters.

Angel Soleil runs into the room, back to her insomniatic and insane self. Odd tries to hide, when he notices yet another person....  
  
Angel Soleil: DUN DUN DUN!!  
  
Yumigirl06: I DIDN'T CUE THAT!!!   
  
Angel Soleil: But....I didn't... I didn't know--   
  
Yumigirl06: You're an actor... haven't you heard of lines??  
  
Angel Soleil: Well e'sccuuuuuseee me... ahem... 'and now introducing Trake... who had something to do with something... though I know not what...' heheh... 'I shall now follow my lines... and attempt to pounce him with my half cat self.' WHAT THE CRAP?! KIKI!! DID YOU WRITE THESE LINES??? I don't attempt... I do... and who puts that stuff about lines in there? Its so... well... it makes me look stupid... and mean to poor old Trake...   
  
Odd chuckles evilly, catching Angel Soleil's attention.   
  
Angel Soleil: You did it??  
  
Odd: Wellll... I don't like to brag about my genius....  
  
Angel Begins to chase him.   
  
Odd: not again!! I feel sick!  
  
Trake: Cheese?   
  
Yumigirl06: Just... great... plans for evil... disrupted by idiots... oh well...

Yumigirl06 pulls out bazooka and plasma grenades.

Yumigirl06: Whilst I attempt to referee the track meet Odd and Angel have started, review please... oh and if you were wondering about Yumi and Ulrich from earlier... hehehe... I have footage... roll it!

Turns on video.

Yumi: Ulrich, I didn't mean for you to take it like that... I was just-

Ulrich: You don't have to explain yourself... because there's nothing to explain...

Ulrich walks off, leaving Yumi to herself, tears starting to trickle down her face.

Yumi: But Ulrich... I'm sorry...

Stops video.

Band: DUN DUN DUN!!!

Yumigirl06:.................. I give up..................

Jeremie: Well, umm... anyone wanna handle this one?

Everyone shakes head hurriedly, each one remembering the last time they fought.

Yumigirl06: Let's just let this one run it's course...

Odd: Eventually though, we'll need a raft to save us from hurricane Yumi and her torrent of tears...


End file.
